3 IPL Players Worth Rs 61.75 Crore To Be Released? Ex RCB Star's Predicts

Former India tearaway Varun Aaron weighed in on certain players that franchises should retain or release for the next edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). The 18th season of the IPL is approaching its business end, and four teams, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians, are set to fight for the coveted title. Aaron delivered his clear-cut take on whether franchises should retain or release their top stars, who burst the bubble of expectations around them that came with a hefty price tag. The 35-year-old had a clear-cut take on Chennai Super Kings, who finished at the bottom of the standings for the first time in the tournament's history.

In a video posted by ESPNcricinfo on X, Aaron sent seasoned frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and New Zealand's southpaw duo Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway to the release category.

Chennai shelled out Rs 9.75 crore to bring Ashwin back to Chepauk, but the 38-year-old was far from living up to his hefty price tag. He returned with just 33 runs and seven wickets from nine fixtures.

Rachin, who has been rooted to soar to new heights considering his swashbuckling batting display across all formats, could muster up just 191 runs from eight appearances at 27.28. His national compatriot, Conway, unimpressively struck 156 runs from six appearances at 26.00.

Coming to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Aaron didn't feel Ishan Kishan had done enough with his two blistering knocks to earn a spot in the franchise's retention list. Apart from 106* in the opening fixture and an unbeaten 94 in the second last group stage clash, the Rs 11.25 crore signing managed just 354 runs in 14 fixtures at 35.40.

Along with Kishan, seasoned speedster Mohammed Shami's performance didn't particularly stand out for the former Indian tearaway. Brought in for Rs 10 crore, Shami scalped just six in nine appearances at a shambolic average of 56.16.

Aaron felt the Sunrisers should continue to invest in youth. He decided to put 22-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy in the retention bracket even though he didn't impress with his overall skillset.

For Kolkata Knight Riders, Aaron felt that the 2024 champions should keep skipper Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane ended the season as the franchise's highest run-getter with 390 in 13 appearances.

However, he didn't share these same views for the tournament's fourth-highest signing at the auction table, Venkatesh Iyer. The 30-year-old's homecoming came at an expensive tag of Rs 23.75 crore for Kolkata.

With the amount came expectations, and Venkatesh succumbed to the pressure. With 142 runs at 20.28, Venkatesh became one of the biggest flops in IPL 2025.

Finally, Aaron believes Lucknow Super Giants should release their premier players across all formats and facets.

Delhi tearaway Mayank Yadav, who broke the speed records with an explosive debut for Lucknow last season, was retained for a whopping sum of Rs 11 crore.

In monetary terms, it was an astronomical rise in value, considering LSG purchased him for Rs 20 lakh before the 2024 season as an uncapped player.

After spending time at the NCA, during which he worked on his recovery and workload management, Mayank was ruled out with an injury after missing the majority of the season with a previous setback.

Ravi Bishnoi, who has served as LSG's premier spinner, had a forgettable run in the 18th season. Despite his ability to disguise his variations, opposition batters read Bishnoi like a book. In 11 fixtures, he managed just nine wickets at 44.55 with a hefty economy of 10.83.

Coming to the all-time record signing at the auction table, the flamboyant Rishabh Pant, Aaron doesn't believe the 27-year-old should be on the retention list. After being dropped from India's ODI XI during the Men in Blue's successful run in the Champions Trophy-winning campaign, the ongoing edition of the IPL was supposed to mark a new beginning for Pant.

However, the 27-year-old's season was riddled with low scores. In 13 appearances, Pant laboured to muster up 151 runs at a scrappy average of 13.72 while barely maintaining a strike rate of 100. In the do-or-die clash for Lucknow, Pant returned cheaply for 7(6) after chipping the ball back into the hands of Eshan Malinga.

In his scratchy season, the misfiring explosive southpaw's best came against the beleaguered Chennai Super Kings, a fixture where he racked up 63 from 49 deliveries.

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