 "Klaasen to Abhishek: SRH's probable retained players | IPL 2025 auction")
The deadline for announcing the official retention list for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction is approaching, and all ten teams have begun deliberating over their best possible retention choices. According to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandate, the final date to finalise the retentions is October 31. While most teams have not provided much information about their plans for the mega auction, however certain media reports has predicted the retention strategy of the IPL 2024 finalists, Sunrisers Hyderabad.
According to reports from ESPN Cricinfo, SRH will likely retain Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, and Abhishek Sharma as their top three retentions. But what will SRH’s final list might look like? Let’s take a look at our predictions.
Heinrich Klaasen
SRH is keen on retaining South African explosive batter Heinrich Klaasen as their first retention after his impressive performance during the IPL 2024 season. SRH is also ready to break the bank for Klaasen, and he is likely to receive Rs 23 crore as his new contract amount for IPL 2025.
| Heinrich Klaasen stats for Sunrisers Hyderabad | |||||||||||||
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
| Career | 35 | 6 | 993 | 104 | 38.19 | 590 | 168.31 | 1 | 6 | 56 | 64 | 14 | 7 |
| 2024 | 16 | 3 | 479 | 80* | 39.92 | 280 | 171.07 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 38 | 8 | 2 |
| 2023 | 12 | 2 | 448 | 104 | 49.78 | 253 | 177.08 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 25 | 3 | 1 |
Pat Cummins
SRH's preferred choice for the second spot in the retention list is 2023 ODI World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins. Cummins also led the team to the finals last season, which was more than convincing for the SRH management to retain him for IPL 2025 at ₹18 crore.
| Pat Cummis stats for Sunrisers Hyderabad | ||||||||||
| YEAR | MAT | BALLS | RUNS | WKTS | BBM | AVE | ECON | SR | 4W | 5W |
| Career | 58 | 1319 | 1923 | 63 | Apr-34 | 30.52 | 8.75 | 20.94 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 16 | 366 | 566 | 18 | Mar-43 | 31.44 | 9.28 | 20.33 | 0 | 0 |
Abhishek Sharma
The left-handed Indian hard-hitting opener Abhishek Sharma will likely be retained by SRH as their third choice in the retention list. Sharma’s opening partnership with Travis Head during the IPL 2024 season was one of the biggest reasons behind the franchise’s blockbuster season. According to reports, SRH is ready to retain Sharma for Rs 14 crore.
| Abhishek Sharma stats for Sunrisers Hyderabad | |||||||||||||
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
| Career | 63 | 7 | 1377 | 75* | 25.5 | 887 | 155.24 | 0 | 7 | 128 | 73 | 18 | 0 |
| 2024 | 16 | 1 | 484 | 75* | 32.27 | 237 | 204.22 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 42 | 7 | 0 |
| 2023 | 11 | 0 | 226 | 67 | 20.55 | 157 | 143.95 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 0 | 426 | 75 | 30.43 | 320 | 133.13 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 8 | 1 | 98 | 33 | 16.33 | 75 | 130.66 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 8 | 2 | 71 | 31 | 14.2 | 56 | 126.78 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5* | 4.5 | 9 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Travis Head
The fourth expected name in SRH’s retention list ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction is Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner and Australian hard-hitting batter, Travis Head. Head is in the form of his life and amassing runs everywhere he plays. Retaining him in the fourth spot for Rs 18 crore would be a no-brainer for any fan or expert.
| Travis Head stats for Sunrisers Hyderabad | |||||||||||||
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
| Career | 25 | 4 | 772 | 102 | 36.76 | 444 | 173.87 | 1 | 5 | 76 | 40 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 15 | 1 | 567 | 102 | 40.5 | 296 | 191.55 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
Nitish Reddy
While all-rounder Nitish Reddy’s international debut against Bangladesh might have foiled SRH’s plan to retain the emerging player of IPL 2024 as an uncapped player. SRH is still likely to retain the young Indian batter at number five on the retention list for Rs 14 crore.
| Nitish Reddy stats for Sunrisers Hyderabad | |||||||||||||
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
| Career | 15 | 2 | 303 | 76* | 33.67 | 212 | 142.92 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 2 | 303 | 76* | 33.67 | 212 | 142.92 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |