Jos Buttler, has not been retained by Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The 34-year-old, who joined Rajasthan in 2018, will now be available in the Mega Auction as the franchise opted not to keep him among their six-player limit.
For the 2025 season, IPL teams can retain a maximum of six players, with up to five of them being capped international players. No England players have been retained, leaving prominent players like Phil Salt, Sam Curran—who set a previous IPL record with a £1.85 million fee in 2023—Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and Jofra Archer open for auction bids.
Among notable international releases, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who became the league’s most expensive player in 2024 when Kolkata Knight Riders paid 24.75 crore Indian rupees (£2.3 million), has also not been retained.
South African wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen currently holds the highest retention price, staying with Sunrisers Hyderabad for 23 crore Indian rupees (£2.1 million). Other retained overseas players include Australia’s Pat Cummins and Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans), and West Indies stars Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants) and Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders).
Key Indian players Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians), Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore), and Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) remain with their respective teams. However, prominent players like KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants), Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals), Ravichandran Ashwin (Rajasthan Royals), and Mohammed Siraj (Royal Challengers Bangalore) will enter the auction pool.
Several top overseas players have also not been retained, including Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bangalore), South Africa’s Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals), David Miller (Gujarat Titans), and Quinton de Kock (Lucknow Super Giants).
MS Dhoni, now 43, will rejoin Chennai Super Kings as an uncapped player, thanks to a rule allowing players who haven’t played international cricket in five years to qualify as uncapped.
Teams that have not used all six retentions will have Right-to-Match cards available in the Mega Auction, allowing some released players to be reacquired by their former teams. However, both Buttler and Starc are confirmed not to return to Rajasthan Royals or Kolkata Knight Riders, as both franchises have reached their retention limits.
Players will have to carefully consider international commitments before entering the auction since the IPL has introduced a two-year ban for those who withdraw without meeting certain criteria.
While the auction dates are yet to be confirmed, it is anticipated to span two days in late November. The tournament itself is expected to run in April and May, as is customary.