Who will LSG retain post-KL Rahul era?

Former cricketers Saba Karim and Parthiv Patel pondered on the possible players that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) would weigh in to retain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 ahead of the deadline day.

All 10 franchises have to submit the list of their player retentions on the deadline day, which is Thursday. All franchises can retain up to six players from their 2024 squad, and a maximum of five players can be capped internationals, Indian or overseas.

LSG has been one of the hottest topics of the rumour mill after reports started to surface about the franchise deciding not to retain its captain for the past two seasons, KL Rahul.

While giving his perspective on LSG's retention strategy, Saba Karim feels that youngster Ayush Badoni should be among the top players to be retained alongside Nicholas Pooran.

"Ayush Badoni, with his form and batting brilliance, stands out as another retention option for LSG. Plus, he offers flexibility, being able to bowl right-arm off-spin if needed. Nicholas Pooran, though, has to be their top choice for retention," Karim said exclusively on JioCinema.

For Karim, while evaluating the spin department, Ravi Bishnoi was pitched as one of the top contenders. However, the former Indian cricketer Amit Mishra also emerges as an asset that could benefit the franchise.

"Ravi Bishnoi is another strong option, but there's also Amit Mishra, who can be an asset as an uncapped player. They do have options, but these players are crucial for LSG," he remarked.

For Parthiv, Delhi-tearaway Mayank Yadav is "definitely" a player that LSG would want to retain. In the batting department, he sees youngster Devdutt Padikkal as an option to be retained or brought back in by using Right To Match due to his versatility to bat in different positions.

"Mayank Yadav is definitely someone LSG would want to retain. Another option is Devdutt Padikkal. He has been batting at different positions, but I'm not entirely sure how much they'd prioritize retaining him. However, they could consider using the Right to Match (RTM) card for him. Mohsin Khan is also a name worth adding to their considerations," Parthiv opined.

After all franchises announce their retained players, a mega auction will be held where each team has a purse of Rs 120 crore to build their respective squads.

A franchise will lose Rs 18 crore for the first player that it retains. For the second player, Rs 14 crore will be deducted from the purse, Rs 11 crore for the third and then Rs 18 crore for the fourth and Rs 14 crore for the fifth player. An uncapped player can be retained for Rs 4 crore from the purse.

So if a team decides to retain five capped international players, then that franchise will lose at least Rs 75 crore from its Rs 120 crore purse before the mega auction.