40 crore — two IPL players demand record retention fees

At least two players have asked for INR 40 crore to stay with their franchises ahead of the 2028 mega auction. One of them wants captaincy written into the deal.

Rishabh Pant turned down retention and went to auction in 2025, landing INR 27 crore. Shreyas Iyer did the same and got INR 26.75 crore. The purse rose from INR 120 crore per side in 2025 to INR 130 crore for 2027, and the BCCI is expected to push it to INR 150 crore before the next mega auction.

Five retentions in 2025 cost franchises INR 75 crore each. No rules have been set yet for 2028, so teams are working from the higher figure they expect.