How Pat Cummins' Selfless Decision Helped SRH Retain Heinrich Klaasen Ahead Of IPL 2025 Auction

In times when fans expect rivalries between players within the teams to be the No. 1 retained player, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins has reportedly shown his selfless side for the betterment of the team. As per reports, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have identified Heinrich Klaasen as their primary retention ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction, with Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma being the other two retentions. Though the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allowed franchises to retain a maximum of 6 players, SRH are said to be keen on going into the auction with just three retentions.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Klaasen will receive INR 23 crore (approximately US$2.74 million) as the first retained player. The franchise has also confirmed retention deals for Australian allrounder Pat Cummins, who captained SRH in 2024, at INR 18 crore (approximately US$2.14 million), and Indian allrounder Abhishek Sharma at INR 14 crore (approximately US$1.67 million).

Surprisingly, it isn't the team's captain Cummins who was the top pick. Cummins was famously bought by SRH in the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping fee of INR 20.50 crore. But, as per reports, the Australian pacer would only get a maximum of INR 18 crore this time, hence taking a big pay cut. 

Despite being SRH's top-salaried player last year, Cummins is said to have taken a selfless decision in agreeing to make Klaasen the team's top-earner ahead of the mega auction. In fact, Cummins, being the captain of the side, also had the opportunity to push for his compatriot Travis' Head's decision but he went with Klaasen as the No. 1 retention. 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) recently stipulated that franchises can retain up to six players