Gujarat Titans (GT), the reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, are set to retain five key players ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. The franchise is likely to hold onto Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match (RTM) card for the auction.
Gill and Rashid were acquired by GT before the 2022 auction, while Sudharsan, Tewatia, and Shahrukh were bought in subsequent auctions. Gill, the 23-year-old opener, has been a consistent performer for GT, scoring over 500 runs in each of the past two seasons. He was appointed captain for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya’s departure.
Rashid, the Afghan leg-spinner, is one of the most sought-after bowlers in the IPL. He has been GT’s leading wicket-taker in both seasons, with 32 wickets in 2022 and 24 wickets in 2024.
Sudharsan, a left-handed batter from Tamil Nadu, has emerged as a promising talent for GT. He was the sixth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, with 527 runs at an average of nearly 48. He is considered a potential future Test player for India.
Tewatia and Shahrukh are both uncapped all-rounders who have been retained for their power-hitting abilities. Tewatia has played several impactful knocks as a finisher, while Shahrukh is one of the strongest hitters in domestic cricket.
GT will have at least INR 51 crore deducted from their purse of INR 120 crore for retaining three international players and two uncapped players. The amounts for each player are not yet known, but GT is free to pay more or less than the minimum deductions set by the IPL.
The deadline for franchises to submit their list of retained players is October 31. The mega auction is expected to be held in December or January.
