The BCCI rolled out the retention guidelines for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season last week, and now the ball is in the franchises' court to make the tricky decisions.
Each of the 10 IPL teams can retain up to six cricketers, through the retention and Right To Match (RTM) option. The auction purse for the franchises has been set at INR 120 crore.
The first three retentions will see the auction purse being reduced by Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore and Rs 11 crore, respectively. However, the two other additional retentions will cost more than the third. The fourth and the fifth retentions will see a reduction of Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore, respectively.
It means a team will see its auction purse reduced by a whopping Rs 75 crore on five players, with only Rs 45 crore left in its kitty for the IPL auction.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India opener Aakash Chopra weighed in on the Delhi Capitals’ situation under the new retention rules.
According to Chopra, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Axar Patel should be DC’s first two retention.
"Rishabh Pant needs to be retained, although there were rumors earlier that the guy won't stay. However, now they are saying that it's confirmed he is going to stay. So Rishabh Pant as your first retention, keep Rs 18 crore there," Aakash said.
"Bapu's (Axar) performances have been excellent for this team, and have been excellent otherwise as well. He bowls four overs, bats very well, and is a good fielder. If you put him in the auction, you will have to pay a lot for the RTM. So I feel you should retain him," he added.
For the third retention, Chopra suggested choosing between Australian all-rounder Jake Fraser-McGurk and Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
"Ideally, you go towards an Indian for the third player but if you wish, you can also retain Jake Fraser-McGurk. You need both Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kuldeep Yadav. However, you will be able to retain one and will have to use the RTM for the other," he commented.
The cricketer-turned-commentator also recommended the DC management to retain Abishek Porel as their uncapped player.
"After that, Abishek Porel. He is still uncapped and will remain uncapped till the auction. You can retain him for Rs four crore. You will have two 'Right To Match' cards after retaining three capped players and Abishek Porel," he remarked.
