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Kolkata Knight Riders won their third IPL title in 2024, ending a ten-year drought under Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir. However, Gambhir, Ryan ten Doeschate, and Abhishek Nayar have left KKR to join the Indian team, leading to uncertainty ahead of IPL 2025. Meanwhile, other teams like Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have made some crucial changes, preparing for a mega auction next season.

The IPL 2025 season is shaping up to be a blockbuster, with significant changes expected both on and off the field. From reconsidering rules and player movements to new coaching appointments, here are the latest updates:

1. CSK Retain MS Dhoni as Uncapped Player for IPL 2025

After much suspense on the future of 5-times IPL winning captain MS Dhoni’s future in the league, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is set to retain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player after latest regulations state that a player who has no central contract or not played for Indian team in the last 5 years will be considered as uncapped player.

Alongwith MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is also set to keep hold of their new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, former captain Ravindra Jadeja and Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. The yellow army is said to be also considering retaining Sameer Rizvi as an uncapped batter to replace Ajinkya Rahane.

2. JioCinema to Run A Show on IPL Retention on Deadline Day

For all the cricket fans and the Indian Premier League (IPL) fans, the IPL Retention show will be live on JioCinema website and all on deadline day on 31st October.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council has offered all ten teams until 31st October to submit the list of players they want to retain ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

While the IPL and all the ten franchises will individually announce the list of retained players, but it is not expected until evening. However, all the cricket fans can get all the latest news and retained players list live on JioCinema app and website during live show on Deadline day.

3. Impact Player Rule Remains Until IPL 2027

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were once considering the future of the Impact Player rule in the IPL 2025 season. However, it has been confirmed that the rule will remain enforced until the completion of next cycle of the IPL till 2027.

The Impact Player rule was introduced in the IPL 2023 season. This rule allowed teams to substitute a player at any point during the match to provide strategic flexibility. The idea behind the rule was to add a tactical element, akin to substitutes in football, enabling teams to replace a player based on the match situation.

However, the rule has received mixed feedback from teams and players, leading to debates about its impact on the game’s traditional format.

Impact Player Rule Removed Scrapped from Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

While the Impact Player rule remain enforced in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the BCCI has decided to scrap the rule from its domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The Impact Player rule in Indian cricket was first introduced through the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2022. But, after two years of the rule in the competition, the BCCI has decided to scrap the rule.

It is believed that the Impact Player rule is affecting India’s upcoming all-rounders, who are not getting gametime. It was case of batters getting subbed on for bowlers and vice-versa with the all-rounders in the middle seeing a significant reduce in game-time.

4. Zaheer Khan to Mentor Lucknow Super Giants

Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for IPL 2025. Zaheer is expected to bring his vast experience to the franchise, focusing on scouting, player development, and overall team strategy. This move comes after Gautam Gambhir’s departure from the same role, and LSG aims to build a strong support staff around head coach Justin Langer.

5. Bidding War Expected for Rishabh Pant With Multiple Teams Interested

Delhi Capitals captain and Indian cricket team’s wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant might opt against staying at Delhi Capitals and try out his luck in the upcoming IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

Rishabh Pant is said to have significant interest from various IPL franchises, most notably the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While RCB side is looking for a Indian captain to replace Faf du Plessis, CSK wants a long-term assurance for MS Dhoni‘s wicketkeeper slot, while Pant himself likes playing alongside his idol Dhoni.

But, other than that, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could also step-into the fight as they also look for a new captain with Shreyas Iyer potential in his way out of the team.

6. Shreyas Iyer to Leave KKR

The defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could part ways with its winning captain Shreyas Iyer ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. It is being said that Iyer wants to be the first retention for KKR while the franchise want to offer him only 2nd or 3rd retention slot.

Shreyas Iyer is currently one of the best leader available in Indian cricket circuit. However, with differences in valuation for the India international, Iyer wants to be part of the Mega Auction and want to test his market value. There are also several teams who have reportedly offered Iyer ahead of the Mega Auction.

7. KL Rahul Part Ways With Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is set to part ways with its captain KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2025. Throughout the whole summer, it was reported that there is tensions between Rahul and the LSG management and despite owner Sanjeev Goenka hinting Rahul not going anywhere, the latest report suggests LSG is set to sack Rahul.

Rahul is said to not impressed the LSG management, particularly new team mentor Zaheer Khan. A source cited that LSG have lost most of the matches where KL Rahul has bat long, questioning his strike rate. There are sufficient interests in Rahul’s services, particularly RCB looking to bring him back home while KKR is also interested.

8. Vijay Dahiya Set to Replace Abhishek Nayar in KKR

Over the summer, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost the coaching trio of Gautam Gambhir, Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar, all of whom joined the Indian team. Nayar in particular was a big reason behind the team’s success.

Nayar was mainly the assistant coach who was also running the KKR Academy and working with the players during the off-season to keep them sharp. KKR has reportedly struck a deal with Vijay Dahiya as the new replacement for Nayar. Dahiya also comes from LSG and is mainly gonna be the assistant coach and take over the duties of Nayar, looking after academy and working with the players.

Vijay Dahiya also has an extensive knowledge of the Indian domestic cricket which would only help KKR pick-up some hugely talented domestic players during the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

9. Adani Group Buys Gujarat Titans

The Adani Group has acquired the Gujarat Titans franchise, marking its entry into the IPL arena. This acquisition is expected to bring substantial financial backing to the team, potentially making them one of the more aggressive bidders in the upcoming auctions.

10. IPL 2025 Retention Rules and Regulations Announced

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council announced the rules and regulations for the upcoming IPL 2025 Retention and Mega Auction, allowing teams to retain 5 players worth of 75 crore.

The IPL announced that each IPL team would be allowed to retain a maximum of 5 capped players worth 75 crore out of 120 crore purse. A team can also retain an additional one uncapped player amounting to maximum retention limit of 6 players worth 79 crore.

Although there is one additional uncapped slot, teams can even opt to retain all 6 uncapped player, however no more than 5 capped players allowed to be retained. The BCCI also removed the limitation on overseas retention, now allowing teams to retain as maximum as 5 overseas players from original limitation of 2 overseas players.

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