Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has named his five possible retentions for Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. Notably, the deadline for the all ten franchises to announce their retentions is October 31. As per the player regulations announced by the IPL Governing Council, teams can retain a maximum of six players either through direct retentions on Right to Match (RTM) cards.
Recently, Harbhajan opened up on Delhi’s retentions and touched upon the uncertainty over Rishabh Pant’s retention. Pant had recently asked his fans how much would he go for if he makes himself available in the auction. Speaking about their skipper, Harbhajan said that Pant should be retained at any cost.
“About Delhi Capitals, we have heard a lot of things around whether Rishabh Pant will be retained or not. Only time will tell. But if I were a part of the management, I would definitely retain him,” said Harbhajan in a video released by Star Sports.
as he scored 446 runs from 13 innings at an average of 40.54 with three fifties. Further speaking ahead, he said that the next four retentions should be all rounder Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Mash.
“Pant should be the first retention, followed by Axar Patel, then Tristan Stubbs. The fourth retention, as I see it, should be Jake Fraser-McGurk; and if you want to retain a fifth player, it could be Mitchell Marsh,” he added.
Axar Patel scored 235 runs and picked 11 wickets in the 2024 season. Stubbs also had a good season having accumulated 378 runs from 13 innings at an average of 54 with three half centuries. 22-year-old Jake Fraser-McGurk also shone in his debut season scoring 330 runs from nine innings at an average of 36.66.
As the retention date draws closer, franchises will scratch their heads in trying to keep the core of their team intact. As per the rules, teams can retain a maximum of two uncapped players and maximum five capped players with total retention limit being at 6.