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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction is fast approaching, and the franchises have a deadline of October 31 to finalize their retentions. Moreover, the teams would also have an option to use Right to Match (RTM) cards for certain players.
All 10 franchises can retain a maximum of six players, with a limit of five capped Indian or overseas players. There can be a maximum of two uncapped players that can be retained by the teams from their IPL 2024 squads.
If the franchises choose to retain three players, they can use the RTM cards to use their remaining three slots. Interestingly, the RTM card will be used for the first time since 2018 and will make things interesting for the viewers.
On that note, let's take a look at a few franchises who may opt to retain only a single player ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
#1 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru had an impressive IPL 2024 season, where they finished fourth in the league stage to qualify for the playoffs. The Faf Du Plessis-led side won a thrilling contest against Chennai Super Kings to enter the playoffs. However, they faced a loss against the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator to bow out of the tournament.
Despite it being a successful season, RCB aren't expected to retain many players. The franchise's key batter and former captain, Virat Kohli scored the most runs (741) for the side in the last season, will likely be their only retention.
The franchise can use RTM cards for three players - Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis and Will Jacks. Interestingly, Faf scored over 400 runs in CPL 2024 and led the St Lucia Kings to a title victory, which might work in his favor.
Yash Dayal, who impressed with his wicket-taking abilities, could also continue playing for RCB in IPL 2025.
Furthermore, Glenn Maxwell had a disastrous IPL 2024 and Cameron Green is currently struggling with a back injury, which might have an effect on his all-round prowess during the tournament.
#2 Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Although Punjab Kings finished ninth in IPL 2024 with five wins in 14 games, they entertained the crowd with their explosive approach. With Shikhar Dhawan's retirement, the franchise will need to retain or acquire a player, who is also captaincy material.
The Kings are likely to retain only one player in the form of all-rounder Sam Curran, who also led the side for a few games in IPL 2024. Curran was impressive with his contribution of 270 runs and 16 wickets for PBKS. The southpaw was the top performer for the champion Oval Invincibles in The Hundred 2024, with 201 runs and 17 wickets in nine games.
In order to keep their auction purse in check, the Punjab-based franchise are likely to use the RTM card for Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer picked 19 wickets in IPL 2024 and has been a regular in India's T20I XI.
Further, the RTM cards could also be used for Shashank Singh and Liam Livingstone. Shashank was the top batter for the side in the last season, while Livingstone has been in sensational form for England.
Although Harshal Patel was the top wicket-taker for the side, he had an expensive economy and Kagiso Rabada had a mediocre season.
#3 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Although they secured seven wins in 14 games, the Lucknow Super Giants could not progress to the playoffs due to an inferior net run-rate than RCB. LSG lacked an explosive approach, which was needed in a few games to prevail over the opposition.
The only retention by the Super Giants could be the skipper KL Rahul, who scored 520 runs for the side in IPL 2024. With him, the side gets someone who can bat at any position, a keeping option and a captain.
The franchise are most likely to retain Nicholas Pooran via RTM card due to his terrific form. Pooran slammed 499 runs in IPL 2024 and was the top-scorer in CPL 2024 with 504 runs.
RTM can also be used for the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Marcus Stoinis and Quinton de Kock. In particular, Quinton was the second-highest run-scorer in CPL 2024 with 453 runs.
It will be interesting to see if the Giants' retain the services of Naveen-ul-Haq, who picked up the most (14) wickets for them in IPL 2024. The likes of Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda are not likely to be retained by the franchise.
