Top 5 SRH Player Retentions Ahead Of The IPL Auction 2025

After losing badly to Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in the IPL 2024 final last season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will now focus on winning the upcoming season to secure their second Indian Premier League title. The 2016 winners had to settle for the runner-up position the previous season. The Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, qualified for the playoffs as the second-place team in 2024 and made it all the way to the final game, but they were unable to snap their eight-year trophy drought after placing outside the top four for three straight seasons. SRH had the entire team available and played some courageous cricket throughout the season, scoring the greatest score in IPL history. Prior to the season, they had only lost Wanindu Hasaranga. They had excellent powerplay skills with the bat as well. Their bowling, though, was quite questionable.

Similar to KKR, SRH is among the teams hoping to play with the same lineup the next season. However, given that the 2025 IPL auction will be a mega auction and only a select few players will be permitted to be kept. So, it seems like they would have to rebuild once more.

Given the number of new talents that emerged in the previous season, SRH will undoubtedly want to hold onto the majority of them for the upcoming season and beyond. However, the number of retentions permitted could be disappointing.

Although the number of retentions permitted prior to the IPL 2025 Mega Auction has not been officially confirmed, it is highly probable that each club will only be able to keep a minimum of four to five players in addition to one Right To Match (RTM) card.

In order to create a team that may see them compete and improve over the following several seasons, SRH will have a difficult time deciding which players to release and keep before the next auction supposing only five players will be allowed to be retained in this mega auction.

Potential Player Retentions For SRH IPL 2025 Squad

Pat Cummins

The first player that SRH plans to keep for the next campaign is Pat Cummins. The Sunrisers have found a capable captain in Cummins who will be able to guide the team for the foreseeable future. His ability to lead has already been seen in the IPL 2024. 

In addition, Cummins is a deadly pacer who can bowl the opposition hitters out of the game. He is one of the dependable tailender batters in the lower order. 

Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia in both Test and ODI cricket, became the most expensive player in IPL history when he was acquired by SRH for an astounding INR 20.75 crores in last year's auction making headlines in every IPL news portal. But shortly after, that record was broken when KKR acquired Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 crores, moving Cummins up to the number-two place. 

However, the significant investment and the skipper position make it obvious that the team wants to keep the player for a long time, and Cummins performed admirably in his debut season with the SRH.

Travis Head

Head was one of the main architects who helped SRH reach the final and had an instant effect. Travis Head set the tone for SRH early in the batting order with a flourish, allowing the other hitters to enter and continue the devastation without any pressure. 

For this same reason, SRH twice last season shattered the record for the highest-ever team total in the Indian Premier League. They will do whatever it takes to retain the Australian hitter in their lineup after he joined the team during the previous season's auction. 

In the IPL 2024, the left-handed hitter emerged as the leading scorer for the Sunrisers. He had a batting average of 40+ and a remarkable strike rate of 191+, scoring 567 runs in 15 games. A century and four half-centuries were also smashed by him. Thus making him an obvious choice for IPL 2025 Player Retentions.

Abhishek Sharma

Among the top power hitters of the last season, was the star opener who had an amazing season at bat and ended up hitting most of the sixes. Following his success, the young talent made his debut for India and scored a century in T20I cricket.

With 42 sixes and an incredible strike rate of 204.21, Abhishek scored 484 runs. He's been developed by SRH into a match-winner who also contributes value with the ball. Because of this, it’s a possibility that the team may decide to keep him before the IPL 2025 schedule.

Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen, the South African sensation, is currently one of the game's most potent strikers. When it comes to this format, he is unmatched. In 2024, he amassed 479 runs at a stellar 171.07 strike rate, including four half-centuries. 

In addition to being a keeper, Klaasen is a middle-order player who can win games. Since middle-order batters are seldom match-winners, it is easy to discover top-order batters.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar or T Natarajan

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan, two Indian pacers, will also face off in a toss-up. These two have won several games for the team throughout the years and have shown remarkable consistency.

With 157 wickets, Bhuvi is the team's top wicket-taker and has been a member since 2014. He bowls well in the death overs and does a great job with the fresh ball. One justification SRH can think of for keeping him on board is his experience. However, he will be 35 before the IPL 2025, and it's possible he'll not play for a further three years.

T Natarajan might be a fantastic choice in this situation. Natarajan has been an instrumental addition to the team since 2020. Thus, one of these two could be retained for leading a solid bowling attack in IPL 2025.