Last Updated on 7 days by Charbel Coorey

The Indian Premier League (IPL) announced the retention rules for franchises ahead of the mega auction. This has created a buzz amongst the fans and there are quite a few big changes regarding the retentions.

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) are among those teams who are quite busy in IPL auctions be it the mega or mini-auctions. Over the years, we have seen Punjab make a lot of changes to their squad and this season is no different as they’ve even changed the coaching staff ahead of IPL 2025.

One of the greats of the game, Ricky Ponting, has left the Delhi Capitals and joined PBKS as their head coach for the next four seasons. The upcoming Mega Auction will be the biggest in the IPL history and PBKS will be eyeing some consistency in their team’s performance under a new coach who has a lot of high expectations from Punjab fans around the world.

Now before talking about PBKS’ possible retentions, first let’s understand the Retention Rules ahead of the Mega Auction.

IPL 2025 Retention Rules

Teams are allowed to retain up to six players either through direct retentions or using the Right to Match (RTM). There is no limit for the retentions of overseas players but teams can retain a maximum of two uncapped players. Any Indian player who has last played in International cricket 5-years ago and has no central contract from the BCCI can be retained as an “uncapped player”.

RTMs will depend on the number of retentions (6 – No. of Players Retained). The salary caps for the retained players is:

• 1st Retention: 18 Crores
• 2nd Retention: 14 Crores
• 3rd Retention: 11 Crores
• 4th Retention: 18 Crores
• 5th Retention: 14 Crores
• Uncapped Player: 4 Crores

So teams will have to be cautious while retaining the 4th & 5th player as releasing them now and buying them back using the RTM may be a better deal as there aren’t many players who will fetch more than what the amount they’ll be retained for.

PBKS Retentions: A Fresh Start from IPL 2025?

With Shikhar Dhawan retired from all forms of cricket and Ponting onboard, it is truly a fresh start for the Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2025. They have quite a few uncapped players who have done well for the franchise so they can easily retain them for a lower amount and build the side around the players they retain.

Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone is a proper T20 specialist and he could be the first retention for PBKS. Livingstone can bowl both off-spin and leg-spin and he’s one of the most destructive batters in world cricket.

He is that X-factor player who can win games single-handedly on his day. He was exceptional with both bat and ball in the recent T20I series against Australia.

Livingstone, with his skill sets, will be a player in high demand in the auction and I’ll say it will be a better choice for PBKS to lock him now instead of buying him back using the RTM.

Shashank Singh

Shashank Singh was a revelation last season. He scored 354 runs in 14 games at an average of 44.20 and struck at 164.70, including two fifties. He was exceptional for the Kings in the middle order and it’ll be a no-brainer for them to retain that too just for 4 crores as he’s an uncapped player.

Shashank was destructive with the bat and showed his range last season. He will be a key batter for Punjab in the upcoming seasons.

Ashutosh Sharma

Ashutosh Sharma is another quality uncapped batter who Punjab can retain. Ashutosh, alongside Livingstone & Shashank, will form a very explosive middle order for the Kings.

Ashutosh played some exceptional knocks in IPL 2024. He’s young and uncapped which makes it easier for the Punjab Kings to retain him as he’ll surely go for more than 4 crores if he goes in the auction.

I feel Punjab Kings should retain only Livingstone, Shashank and Ashutosh as all the other players can brought back via the RTM. It is likely they will go for less in the auction compared to the amounts they need to spend to retain them.

Right to Match picks for PBKS

Sam Curran

Sam Curran is a utility player and has been in exceptional form in T20s in recent times. He was the player of the tournament of the Hundred 2024. However, his batting is yet to be fully utilised in the IPL.

Curran can bat in the top 4 with the likes of Livingstone, Shashank and Ashutosh to follow. This will give Punjab a good left-hand batting option in the middle order and he will bowl four overs as well.

Curran did a good job in IPL 2024 with both bat and ball. He is quite young with good IPL experience so Punjab Kings are expected to use RTM for Sam Curran.

Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel won the Purple Cap in IPL 2024. He picked up 24 wickets at an economy of 9.73 with a strike rate of 12.20. Harshal, being an Indian pacer who specialises in the middle and death overs, will be a player in demand in the auction. But, I don’t think he’ll go for as high as 14 crores, so PBKS can easily buy him back at a cheaper rate.

Harshal hits the hard lengths and has an excellent slower delivery. He has won the Purple cap twice which shows his calibre.

Arshdeep Singh

Another case of a player who will be in demand in the auction but isn’t expected to go as high as the retention price. Arshdeep Singh is young, has good IPL experience and is a key part of the Indian T20I side as well. He can swing the new ball and can bowl in the death overs.

He picked up 19 wickets last season and has been the lead pacer for the Punjab Kings. Arshdeep is another player for whom Punjab Kings can use the RTM option.

So by retaining Liam Livingstone, Shahsank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma and using RTM for Sam Curran, Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh, the Punjab Kings will have a solid core not only for IPL 2025 but for many years going forward. The Kings can then build a strong squad around these players which actually looks very promising.

It will be interesting to see how they approach the retention and eventually the auction under Ricky Ponting and if they are able to finally win their first title in IPL 2025.

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