IPL 2025: Overtook Virat in wealth, became the second most expensive player of IPL even before the auction
Virat Kohli
IPL 2025 Most Expensive Retention: All 10 teams have revealed their retention lists for the 18th season of the Indian Premier League i.e. IPL. Except Punjab Kings and RCB, the remaining 8 teams spent a lot of money in retaining players. Punjab Kings retained only 2 players while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) retained 3 players. Punjab retained Shashank Singh (Rs 5.50 crore) and Prabhsimran Singh (Rs 4 crore) while RCB retained Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal and Rajat Patidar in their squad.
RCB spent the most money in retaining Virat Kohli. The team retained Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore. RCB retained Rajat Patidar for Rs 11 crore while Yash Dayal as an uncapped player for Rs 5 crore. Virat Kohli has been a part of IPL since 2008 and has been playing for one team i.e. RCB for the last 17 years. During this period his salary has increased significantly. Kohli’s salary for the first three seasons was Rs 12 lakh, after which he made a huge jump and in 2011, his salary directly reached Rs 8.28 crore. Kohli was getting Rs 15 crore since 2015 but this time he created a new history by crossing the figure of Rs 20 crore. He has become the first Indian player to get a salary of more than Rs 20 crore in IPL.
Virat Kohli’s salary in IPL history
- 2008 – 12 lakhs (U19 Draft)
- 2011 – 8.28 crores
- 2014 – 12.5 crores
- 2018 – 17 crores
- 2022 – 15 crores
- 2025 – 21 crore*
Even though Virat Kohli made a new record of salary in IPL with Rs 21 crore, there was one player on whom more money was paid in retention than King Kohli. The name of this player is Heinrich Klaasen, who was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 23 crore. There has been a huge jump in Klaasen’s salary. Last season, Sunrisers Hyderabad had given only Rs 5.25 crore to Klaasen but this time he has got Rs 23 crore. In this way he has become the second most expensive player in IPL history. Mitchell Starc is the most expensive player of IPL with Rs 24.75 crore. Apart from Klaasen, SRH also retained captain Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Also read:
IPL 2025: Big announcement by Punjab Kings, retained only 2 players before the auction
IPL 2025: Sunrisers Hyderabad retained 5 strong players including 3 foreigners
