England white-ball captain Jos Buttler has been released by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, with the franchise choosing not to retain him in a move that has raised eyebrows in the cricketing world.
Buttler, 34, who has been a mainstay with Rajasthan since 2018, will now head to the Mega Auction pool after Rajasthan opted not to secure his services under the newly imposed retention rules.
With teams allowed to retain only six players—including a maximum of five capped internationals—Rajasthan’s choice to release the experienced England batter signals a strategic shift as they prepare to build their squad for the 2025 season.
No England players have been retained across the franchises, making a number of prominent English players available in the auction, including the likes of Phil Salt, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and Jofra Archer. Curran, in particular, drew attention in 2023 when he commanded a record 16 crore bid, setting expectations high for his likely reappearance in the bidding wars.
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who became the IPL’s highest-paid player in 2024 when Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for a staggering 24.75 crore Indian rupees, will also return to the auction pool after his release from Kolkata. Meanwhile, the highest retention price for 2025 is set by South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen, whom Sunrisers Hyderabad retained for 23 crore rupees.
Klaasen is one of just ten overseas players retained this season, joined by other key internationals like Australia’s Pat Cummins and Travis Head (both with Sunrisers Hyderabad), Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans), and West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants) and Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders).
In terms of Indian superstars, the teams made no surprise choices, with Mumbai Indians keeping Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma, Royal Challengers Bangalore retaining Virat Kohli, and Chennai Super Kings continuing with Ravindra Jadeja.
However, several other marquee Indian players will now enter the draft, including KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants), Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals), Ravichandran Ashwin (Rajasthan Royals), and Mohammed Siraj (Royal Challengers Bangalore).
Notable overseas players like Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and South Africa’s Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals), David Miller (Gujarat Titans), and Quinton de Kock (Lucknow Super Giants) have also been released, setting up a highly competitive auction environment.
Chennai Super Kings have once again secured their iconic leader, MS Dhoni, who, at 43, will return under the “uncapped” player category, following a rule change allowing players who have been out of international cricket for over five years to be signed as uncapped.
For teams that opted not to use their full retention quota, Right-to-Match cards will be available in the Mega Auction, allowing franchises to potentially reacquire some players. However, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, having used their full quota of six retentions, will be ineligible to bring back Buttler and Starc.
With the auction set for late November, the final dates are yet to be confirmed. The tournament is expected to kick off in April, as in previous years, though official details remain under wraps.
As IPL franchises finalize their strategies and evaluate available talent, the upcoming Mega Auction promises high-stakes bidding and the potential reshaping of team dynamics across the league.
