Tilak Varma becomes the fifth capped player retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Mumbai Indians are poised to retain their four key Indian players – Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav – in addition to Tilak Varma, in anticipation of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
By retaining these five capped players, MI will be able to utilize their single right-to-match option exclusively on an uncapped player during the auction. Although the specific financial figures for each retained player have yet to be determined, MI is expected to forfeit at least INR 75 crore from their total budget of INR 120 crore, with the possibility of a higher deduction if the cumulative amount paid to the five players exceeds this figure.
The previous season, IPL 2024, was disappointing for MI, as they finished at the bottom of the league standings under Hardik’s captaincy, who was acquired from Gujarat Titans to replace Rohit. Throughout the season, Hardik faced criticism from fans, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the leadership change. Nevertheless, he managed to recover from a challenging personal performance, making significant contributions to India’s triumphant 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. Following the tournament, Suryakumar was appointed as India’s T20I captain after Rohit’s retirement from the format, despite Hardik having led the team in T20Is for a considerable portion of 2023.
ESPNcricinfo has reported that the management of MI recently engaged in discussions with their senior players regarding future strategies prior to finalizing their retention decisions.
The deadline for the ten franchises to submit their lists of retained players to the IPL is October 31. Each team is permitted to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction for the 2025 season, with a maximum of five being capped internationals and two being uncapped players. The IPL has established minimum deductions from the auction purse for each retained player: INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player. However, franchises have the flexibility to offer more or less than these specified amounts to their retained players.
