5 West Indies internationals who might be released ahead of IPL 2025 auction ft. Shimron Hetmyer

The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council recently announced a new set of player retention rules ahead of the 2025 mega auction set to take place later this year.

Under the new rules, a franchise can retain a maximum of six players by using the Retentions and Right to Match options. A franchise can retain a maximum of five capped players and two uncapped cricketers.

"It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for Retentions and RTMs," the IPL release read on its official website. "The six retentions/RTMs can have a maximum of five capped players (Indian and overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped [Indians] players," it added.

If a team wants to retain five capped players from their existing squad, the following amounts will be deducted from their overall purse of INR 120 crore - INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore, and INR 11 crore, respectively, for the first three retentions. The next two retentions will see the team lose INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore, respectively.

The new set of rules will change the dynamics of teams heading into the mega auction ahead of the next IPL season. On that note, let's take a look at five West Indies players who might be released ahead of IPL 2025:

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#1 Shai Hope

The West Indian top-order batter was part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) squad in the 2024 season. With the Capitals struggling to find a suitable opening combination, the think tank used Shai Hope in the top-order for a few games. However, Hope failed to make the opportunity count. The right-hander could accumulate only 183 runs in nine innings at an average of 22.88.

Delhi would be reluctant to use a retention spot for Hope and thus, the cricketer might have to register for the auction once again in a bid to find a suitable team.

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#2 Kyle Mayers

The West Indian all-rounder was an immediate success in his debut IPL season while playing for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). In the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, Kyle Mayers racked up some good scores to make a name for himself.

In the 2023 season, the left-hander amassed 379 runs in 13 innings at an average of almost 30 and a strike rate of 144.11, including four half-centuries.

However, Mayers didn't get any opportunities in IPL 2024 and warmed the bench throughout the season. Given the intense fight for the retention berths, the Super Giants are likely to release Mayers ahead of the auction.

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#3 Romario Shepherd

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) endured a terrible campaign last season, finishing 10th with only four wins in 14 games. Led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the team failed to click throughout the edition.

Romario Shepherd's free flowing batting was one of the few bright spots for MI. He was a breath of fresh air with his aggressive batting in the six games he played last year, striking at 271.43.

However, Shepherd is unlikely to be retained by Mumbai and the player will have to join the auction pool in the next edition of the cash-rich league.

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#4 Shimron Hetmyer

The ever-aggressive Shimron Hetmyer has been an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) side during his time with the franchise. The southpaw scored crucial runs every time the team were in need.

Despite his credentials and reputation as a T20 batter, Hetmyer is likely to miss out on RR's retention list. The franchise have invested heavily on young Indian players and are expected to back them ahead of the mega auction.

As a result, Hetmyer may have to bear the brunt and appear in the auction for a team next year.

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#5 Alzarri Joseph

The lanky West Indies speedster has a reputation for conceding too many runs and it was no different in the three games he played last season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Joseph conceded 115 runs at an economy rate of 11.90 and picked up only one wicket in three games he played in IPL 2024.

There seems to be no question of the Royal Challengers using one of the six spots to retain for the next edition of the tournament.