The hype for the IPL 2025 Mega Auction is all around the corner. It is also getting exciting because Rohit Sharma is likely to leave Mumbai Indians for another IPL franchise. And the rumors of Rishabh Pant joining CSK, KL Rahul possible move to RCB news buzz are all over on social media.
The IPL (Indian Premier League) is getting bigger and bigger every year and since 2008, we have seen some of the star players playing in the tournament. We have seen so many superstars or you can say ‘icon players’ playing for their respective teams over the years. These players bring in some valuable experience, face value, brand value or icon status with them and that’s why the franchises always retain them in the team.
Today, we will see those players that were never released by the franchises. Some of those players might feature in IPL 2025 as well. So let’s dive into it quickly.
NOTE: We will not consider those players who only played for a single franchise in his career but were then released by the team. For example, Mumbai Indians (MI) released Kieron Pollard before the IPL 2023 auction. The West Indian never played for any other IPL franchise than MI. Now he is not playing for any IPL team and MI signed him as their batting coach. We will not include him in this list.
List of players that were never released by the franchises and will feature in IPL 2025
(1) Sunil Narine (KKR)
Sunil Narine has started his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2012. Since then, KKR never released him to go to the auction table.
His ability to win games makes him a valuable asset to the team. When he first came into the scene, his mystery in the bowling always troubled the opposition batters. He is very hard to get away and can bowl in any situation of the game. The West Indian can bowl in the powerplay, control the game in the middle overs, and can bowl even in the death overs.
Over the years, Narine has done tremendously well with the bat. The world saw a different side of Narine as he has won so many games for his team with the bat as well. Since he started opening the inning in T20s, he has become a different beast.
Sunil Narine has become a big name in the T20 circuit and brings a lot of face value in the team. We might see him playing for KKR again in IPL 2025.
(2) Rishabh Pant (DC)
Rishabh Pant has started playing the IPL in 2016. Since then, he only represented Delhi Capitals (earlier known as Delhi Daredevils). The Indian wicketkeeper batter saw a lot of growth in his career and at such a young age, he has become an important member of not just DC but for an Indian team.
His fearless approach in the batting makes the opposition captain think out of the box every time. The left-handed batter can hit the long ball and has enough experience to read the match situation.
Pant is now a regular captain of DC and he might be the first retention for the franchise in IPL 2025.
(3) Virat Kohli (RCB)
RCB is one of the teams that has a very loyal fan base. Virat Kohli, ever since the first season has been playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). His performances with the bat show why RCB wanted him and his leadership skills and experience are vital for the youngsters in the team. Unfortunately, RCB hasn’t won any IPL trophies yet.
Not just the performance and experience, if we saw it from the marketing point of view, the franchise never lacked sponsorships and brand value if Virat Kohli is in the team. His market value has only gone up over the years. We will see RCB retaining him as their first retention in IPL 2025.
(4) MS Dhoni (CSK)
Whenever we talk about Chennai Super Kings (CSK), we only associate one name every time which is MS Dhoni. Only his presence is enough for the franchise, fans, and broadcasters and that is why he is still active in the league.
He is the face of the team and CSK has also won 5 IPL trophies in his captaincy. With the old uncapped player back, we might see him playing in IPL 2025 as well.
(5) Sachin Tendulkar (MI)
Nowadays, we associate MI with Rohit Sharma but it was Sachin Tendulkar who started pulling the fans for MI. He played in the IPL till 2013 and won a trophy in his last season. MI never released him from the team.
Considered the ‘god of cricket’, Sachin made people fall in love for the MI franchise. In 78 IPL games, he scored 2334 runs with an average of 34.84 and a strike rate of 119.82. He has 13 fifties and a century to his name in the tournament.
Other players in this list
Other players who were never released by their franchises is Lasith Malinga. Malinga was never released by MI and he played his last IPL season in 2019.
Conclusion
So these are the players who were never released by the IPL franchises. We will see some of these players playing in IPL 2025 as well. Because of the fan loyalty, the player’s performances, his brand value, icon status, etc, the franchise doesn’t release them for the auction.
↻ AB De Villiers Laughs Off Rumors of Rohit Sharma Joining RCB
FAQs:-
(1) What are Sunil Narine’s stats in IPL?
Sunil Narine has scored 1534 runs in 176 IPL games with an average of 17.04 and a strike rate of 165.84. With the ball, he has taken 180 wickets with an average of 25.39.
(2) Which player has played for most franchises in his IPL career?
Aaron Finch holds the record for playing for the most franchises in the IPL, representing eight different teams during his career. He has played for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Gujarat Lions, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
