MI, CSK Keen To Buy SRH Star Unlikely To Be Retained By Franchise: Report

India all-rounder Washington Sundar is set to go under the hammer at the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next month. Sundar, who picked 11 wickets in the recently-concluded second Test against New Zealand, is unlikely to be retained by his franchise, the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of  IPL 2025 mega auction. According to a report in the Times of India (TOI), Sundar has garnered interest from Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.

"Sundar is keen to go into the auction pool. At the moment, at least three teams - Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings - have shown a huge interest in him. While he will not be in the Sunrisers Hyderabad's retention list, SRH could retain Sundar in the IPL auction by using the RTM (Right to Match) card," the report claimed.

Though the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allowed franchises to retain a maximum of 6 players, SRH are said to be keen on going into the auction with just three retentions.

SRH have identified Heinrich Klaasen as their primary retention ahead of IPL 2025 auction. Klaasen will reportedly receive INR 23 crore (approximately US$2.74 million) as the first retained player.

The franchise has also confirmed retention deals for Australian allrounder Pat Cummins, who captained SRH in 2024, at INR 18 crore (approximately US$2.14 million), and Indian allrounder Abhishek Sharma at INR 14 crore (approximately US$1.67 million).

Surprisingly, it isn't the team's captain Cummins who was the top pick. Cummins was famously bought by SRH in the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping fee of INR 20.50 crore. But, as per reports, the Australian pacer would only get a maximum of INR 18 crore this time, hence taking a big pay cut.

If SRH finalizes all five retentions and opts not to add a sixth player before the deadline, they will have one RTM card available at the auction, usable only for an uncapped Indian. It is expected that SRH will also confirm the retentions of Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy soon. The IPL has set October 31 as the deadline for retentions ahead of the mega auction later this year.

Pat Cummins, who led SRH to the finals last season, will continue as captain in 2025.

(With ANI Inputs)