IPL 2025 Retention: Gujarat Titans to retain THIS star batter, salary to increase by Rs 108000000, Mohammed Shami to head to mega auction
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 champions Gujarat Titans were always expected to retain their skipper Shubman Gill and star all-rounder Rashid Khan from Afghanistan. Gill and Rashid are set to be handed contracts worth Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore respectively.
But it is their third retention which has shocked many fans around the world. Ahead of international stars like South Africa’s David Miller or Team Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, GT have picked Tamil Nadu southpaw Sai Sudharsan as their third IPL 2025 Retention pick for Rs 11 crore.
It is a massive hike for Rs 10.8 crore for the 23-year-old batter, who had scored 96 off 47 balls in the IPL 2023 final against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad. Apart from Sai, all-rounder Rahul Tewatia and M. Shahrukh Khan from Tamil Nadu will be retained by GT as ‘uncapped’ players.
“Shubman, Rashid and Sai will be retained by the franchise,” an IPL source was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
Sudharsan will be retained ahead of the deadline on October 31 after a breakout year when he amassed 527 runs in 12 games including a hundred. The young southpaw has featured in three ODIs and a T20 for the national team.
In IPL, Sudharsan has notched up 1,034 runs from 25 matches at a strike-rate of 139.16 and average of 47 with 1 hundred and 6 fifties. Gill, who is seen a future leader in the Indian national team, had captained Titans for the first time earlier this year when the side finished eighth out of 10 teams.
GT had won the IPL on debut in 2022 before finishing runners-up the following year, both under Hardik Pandya’s leadership. The decision to retain Rashid is also on expected lines as it was said that he was one of big targets of Mumbai Indians franchise.
The 26-year old Afghanistan star took 19 wickets in his maiden season with the team in 2022 before collecting 27 wickets in the following season. His form dipped this season when he took 10 wickets in 12 games at an average of 36.70.
Uncapped Shahrukh Khan batted at an impressive strike rate of 169.33 and at Rs 4 crore, he would come with a bargain price for the franchise. IPL veteran Tewatia, who has played close to 100 games, is another batter Titans are expected to retain. The southpaw batted with a 145 plus strike last season.
GUJARAT TITANS SET TO RETAIN THESE TOP 5 PLAYERS: (PTI).
– Shubman Gill.
– Rashid Khan.
– Sai Sudharsan.
– Rahul Tewatia.
– Shahrukh Khan. pic.twitter.com/OqDSmZNWVd— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) October 29, 2024
The mega auction is likely to be held overseas in the last week of November. The auction purse has been increased to Rs 120 crore from the Rs 100 crore teams had at their disposal at last year’s auction. But after retaining five players, GT will have Rs 51 crore remaining in their auction purse.
Mohammed Shami had been bought by GT for Rs 6.25 crore. He picked up 20 wickets and 28 wickets respectively in the IPL 2022 and IPL 2023 season but was sidelined from IPL 2024 due to injury. It is indeed surprising that Sai Sudharsan has been preferred over a match-winner like Shami.
“I don’t know anything about this. The decision lies firmly with the franchise. If they feel the need to retain me, then they will. Otherwise, they won’t,” Mohammed Shami had told SportsTak.
“I haven’t had any word with them so far, but if they do give the option, then who would refuse them?” he added.