IPL 2025 Auction: Best 11 From The Retained Players

Every team has done their retentions where they will look to fill the remaining positions for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. This mega-event is supposed to be one of the biggest auctions ever since 2008 because of the increase in purse value to INR 120 Crores, which also allows franchises to acknowledge the services of their best and most deserving players.

Let’s look at the perfect 11 that can be formed from the pool of IPL 2025 retained players:

Travis Head

Head had an incredible 2024 and scored tons of runs. Travis Head, who loves to get going from ball one, had a huge success and played a major role in the team reaching the final. Along with Abhishek, Head formed a destructive opening pair. In 15 matches, Head scored over 567 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200.

Sunil Narine

The Caribbean and IPL legend Narine had a great outing in the IPL 2024. He found success with both bat and ball. He took everyone by surprise when he scored a blistering and his first-ever IPL century. Narine scored 488 runs at a strike rate of 180 and picked up 17 wickets at an economy of 6.69 in the entire tournament. He was one of the major reasons behind KKR’s success.

Sanju Samson (C)

Before IPL 2024, Samson had been having issues converting his great starts into a big season but in the recent one, he delivered his first ever 500-run season since his debut. He had a wonderful season of 531 runs which came at the strike rate of 153.47 including 48 fours and 24 sixes while batting at number 3. This further helped him a lot in the internationals where he recently registered 3 tons in the T20Is of the calendar year 2024.

Shivam Dube

A destructive middle-order batsman and one of the cleanest strikers of the ball. Dube has been on the rise ever since coming to CSK. His ability to hit sixes at will and with ease makes him an ideal T20 player. He had a great IPL 2024, smashing 396 runs at a strike rate of 162. He also had a wicket to his name. Dube looks like an ideal candidate for the number 4 position.

Heinrich Klaasen (wk)

The destructive South African batsman was in no mood to spare anyone in the last IPL. His hard-hitting ability helped SRH give a good finish and take the team to the final. He is also one of the finest behind the wicket. His skills with the glove earn him the position of wicketkeeper. With a strike rate of 171, Klaasen scored nearly 479 runs in 15 innings.

Shashank Singh

Nearly an accidental purchase but turned out to be the savior for the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 season. Batting down the order and scored 354 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 164.65 including 21 sixes as well. Shashank has also received backing from the Punjab franchise for INR 5.5 Crores for the upcoming seasons.

Axar Patel

Axar had a decent IPL in 2024, given the caliber that he has. One of the trusted deputies of DC in the last few years, Axar couldn’t get going as he would have liked. However, his finishing ability in a few matches, along with his bowling, earns him the spot at number 7. He scored 235 runs and picked up 11 wickets at an economy of 7.65 in 14 matches. His balanced contribution with both the bat and bowl gives him the edge.

Varun Chakravarthy

The mystery spinner had a fabulous IPL 2024 season. Varun picked 21 wickets at an economy of 8.04 and had a strike rate of below 15. This season helped Varun to seize a spot in the Indian T20I setup. His comeback and recent T20I performance also increase the headache of the team management for the spin department. Along with Axar, Varun forms a great spin pair.

Jasprit Bumrah

The finest in world cricket and one of the most difficult bowlers to face. Presently, Bumrah is head and shoulder above the rest of the bowlers. His ability to bowl economically and pick wickets makes him a great bowler. In 13 matches, Bumrah picked up 20 wickets at an economy of 6.50. His unorthodox bowling action makes him difficult to pick and attack.

Sandeep Sharma

An underrated bowler and one of the finest in the IPL. Sandeep’s records speak for themselves. His ability to bowl with the new ball, swing the ball in both directions, and bowl yorkers at the death overs make him a difficult bowler to score runs against. He had a good IPL 2024, picking up 13 wickets in 11 matches at an economy of 8.18. What favors his selection is his experience and the moment at which he generally came to bowl. Majorly used as a death bowler, Sandeep executed what he was asked to do.

Matheesha Pathirana

The young ‘Baby Malinga’, with his unorthodox bowling action, was sensational for the CSK. In 6 matches, Pathirana picked up 13 wickets at an economy of around 7.50. His ability to bowl in the death over and toe-crushing yorkers makes him a must-have kind of player in the setup.

Impact Players for the IPL 2025 Best Retained 11

Sai Sudharsan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, Nicholas Pooran, and Andre Russell could be used as substitutes or Impact Players according to the pitch conditions or match situation.

This looks like an ideal retained 11 from all the retained players.