Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are set to make an extraordinary move during the retention and go above the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandated slabs ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction in order to keep hold of their top stars.
The Hyderabad-based franchise had an incredible season in 2024 as they reached the final, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). SRH had an incredible turnaround in Pat Cummins' captaincy after finishing 8th in 2021 and 2022 while registering a last-place finish in 2023.
Heinrich Klaasen Set For Big Pay Day, Pat Cummins To Take Pay Cut
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According to a report by EspnCricinfo; SRH are set to go 27.7% above the top slab of Rs 18 crore and pay South African star Heinrich Klaasen a sum of Rs. 23 crore as their first retention. As a result, Klassen will become the second highest-paid player in IPL history only behind Mitchell Starc’s stunning salary of Rs. 24.75 crore last year.
On the other hand, skipper Pat Cummins is set for a 13.8% pay cut and will be paid Rs. 18 crore. Cummins was purchased by the Hyderabad-based franchise for Rs. 20.5 crore in the 2024 mini-auction.
The same report mentions that SRH will also retain young Indian star Abhishek Sharma, who was one of their top performers in the 2024 IPL. The 24-year-old will be paid Rs. 14 crore by the franchise in the 2025 mega auction. He earned Rs. 6.50 crore in the last three seasons.
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SRH are yet to finalize their remaining retentions, but it is reported that Australian opener Travis Head as well as Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will stay with SRH. Nitish made his debut for the Indian team in the recently concluded series against Bangladesh.
How Are SRH Allowed to Pay Klaasen More Than Rs. 18 Crore?
The slabs mentioned by the BCCI are the minimum amount a team will lose from their salary cap for retaining a player. If a team decides to pay a player more, they will have less money in the auction. There is precedence for the same when Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) paid Virat Kohli Rs. 17 crore in 2018 exceeding the Rs. 15 crore slab. In 2022, KL Rahul was paid Rs. 17 crore in the pre-auction draft, Rs. 2 crore more than the top bracket.