IPL Auctions Special: Complete List of Retained Players since Inception

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, the only players retained every time as we look at the complete retained players list for IPL Mega Auctions since inception. 

The Indian Premier League is undoubtedly the hottest T20 league in the world. Ever since its inception in 2008, the tournament has only seen a rise in popularity. Apart from producing enormous young Indian talent in the tournament, the event that drives the biggest attention is the IPL Mega Auctions.

The Mega Auctions that usually happen every 3 years see Teams investing in players that they consider to be their backbone from a short-term and long-term perspective. The short-term is usually investing in a player for 2-3 years. Whereas long-term refers to finding value in a player that the team can invest for 5+ years.

Ever since the IPL was inaugurated in 2008, the IPL saw Mega auctions happening in 2011, 2014, 2018, and now in 2022. There have been a lot of mini auctions over the years, but it is the mega auctions that drive the craze and change the dynamics of the event. 

The Mega Auctions have been quite dynamic with only a handful of players getting retained every time. MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are the only players to have been retained in all 4 mega auctions so far. So, revisiting the history, what’s the complete retained players list for IPL Mega Auctions since inception? Let’s find out.  

IPL 2011:

Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League saw its first mega auction 3 years later in 2011. Coincidently the auction was conducted after Team India’s 2011 WC triumph. It was also the only mega auction that was conducted in USD currency. Whereas all the others have been conducted in INR currency. 

A total of 11 players were retained in the first Mega Auctions with CSK and MI retaining 4 players each. RR retained 2 players. Whereas DD and RCB retained one player each. KXIP (Now Punjab Kings), KKR, and Deccan Chargers didn’t retain any player in that Auction.

In terms of salary, USD 1.8M was deducted for the first retention. 1.3 M was deducted for the second retention. 0.9 was deducted for the third retention, and USD 0.5M was deducted for the fourth retention. Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Shane Warne were retained in the highest bracket of USD 1.8 Million.

So, here’s a complete list of players to have been retained for IPL 2011:

CSK: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, and Albie Morkel

DD: Virender Sehwag

MI: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, and Lasith Malinga

RR: Shane Warne and Shane Watson

RCB: Virat Kohli

Deccan Chargers: None

KKR: None

KXIP: None

IPL 2014:

The next Mega Auction was scheduled 3 years later in 2014. Coincidently, It was also the auction that was scheduled after Team India’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2013. A total of 24 players were retained by 8 franchises including 16 Indians and 8 foreigners.

In terms of salary, INR 12.5 Cr was deducted for the first retention. 9.5 Cr was deducted for the second retention. 7.5 Cr was deducted for the third retention, and INR 5.5 Cr was deducted for the fourth retention. Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, David Miller, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, Shane Watson, and Shikhar Dhawan were retained in the highest bracket of INR 12.5 Cr. 

CSK and MI once again retained the most players, 5 along side Rajasthan Royals, who also retained 5 players. RCB followed them with 3 retained players. Whereas KXIP, KKR, and SRH retained two players each. The down and out Delhi Daredevils didn’t retain any player that year. 

So, here’s the list of all players that were retained for IPL 2014: 

CSK: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, and Dwayne Bravo

DD: None

KXIP: David Miller and Manan Vohra

KKR: Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine

MI: Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, and Ambati Rayudu

RR: Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, and Stuart Binny

RCB: Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, and AB de Villiers

SRH: Shikhar Dhawan and Dale Steyn

IPL 2018: 

Initially scheduled to take place in 2017, the Mega Auction was pushed to 2018 owing to team ban on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in 2016 and 2017. The year 2018 was a resurgence year for CSK and RR, and that man, MS Dhoni was finally back to his second home, Chennai Super Kings. 

A total of 19 players were retained in IPL 2018 Mega Auctions including 13 Indians and 6 overseas players. CSK, MI, DC, and RCB retained 3 players each. SRH and KKR retained two players. Whereas unferperdorming KXIP retained only 1 player. This was the year Virat Kohli was retained for INR 17 Cr; a record that still holds good in 2022. 

In terms of salary, if 3 players were retained, INR 15 Cr was offered to the first retention. INR 11 Cr was offered to the second retention. Whereas INR 7 Cr was offered to the third retention. The year also unique retention policy for less than 3 retentions. If 2 players were retained, INR 12.5 Cr and INR 8.5 Cr were deducted. Whereas for only one retention, INR 12.5 Cr was deducted. 

So, here is the full list of retained players for IPL 2018: 

CSK: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja

DD: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Chris Morris

KXIP: Axar Patel

KKR: Sunil Narine and Andre Russell

MI: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah

RR: Steve Smith

RCB: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Sarfaraz Khan

SRH: David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar

IPL 2022: 

Originally scheduled to take place in 2021, the Mega Auction is pushed by a year to 2022 owing to COVID-19 pandemic.  The Mega Auction saw the maximum retentions among all Mega Auctions. A total of 27 players have been retained by 8 franchisees including 19 Indians and 8 foreigners. 

Another unique retention policy was deigned for teams retaining four, three, and two players. For four retentions, salary offered is 16 Cr, 12 Cr, 8 Cr, and 6 Cr respectively. With three retentions, salary offered is 15 Cr, 11 Cr, and 7 Cr respectively. For two retentions, it’s INR 14 Cr and INR 10 Cr respectively. Whereas for a single retention, it is INR 14 Cr. Meanwhile, for Uncapped players, it’s INR 4 Cr. 

So, here’s the list of players retained for IPL 2022: 

CSK: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, and Anrich Nortje 

KKR: Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, and Sunil Narine

 MI: Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kieron Pollard

PBKS: Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh

RR: Sanju Samson, Jos Butter, and Yashasvi Jaiswal 

RCB: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj

SRH: Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, and Umran Malik

Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the IPL Mega Auction retentions over the years? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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