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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are set to retain Australian batter Travis Head and young Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as their final two capped players ahead of the IPL auction.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Head will be retained for Rs 14 crore, while Reddy will secure a deal worth Rs 6 crore. With these two key retentions, SRH have now finalized their quota of five capped players before the auction, solidifying the core team that propelled them to the IPL 2024 final. The combined value of these retentions will deduct INR 75 crore from their total purse of INR 120 crore. Previously, SRH had confirmed the retention of Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 18 crore), and Abhishek Sharma (INR 14 crore). They are now eligible to use a right-to-match card to potentially re-sign one of their uncapped players during the auction. The deadline for the ten IPL franchises to submit their list of retained players is October 31. Each franchise is allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction for the 2025 season, with a maximum of five capped internationals and two uncapped players. Although the IPL has established minimum deductions from the auction purse for each retained player, franchises are at liberty to pay more than the stipulated amounts to their retained players. Pat Cummins, who will continue to captain SRH, led the team to the playoffs in 2024 for the first time since 2020, under the guidance of head coach Daniel Vettori. Travis Head, who had a remarkable IPL season in 2024, amassed 567 runs at an impressive strike rate of 191.55, solidifying his position at the top of the order. Despite his underwhelming performance in the IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders, Head's overall contributions, including a stellar hundred in the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023, justified his retention. His value at the 2024 IPL auction was INR 6.8 crore, and although his price has more than doubled, it is likely he would have attracted even higher bids had he entered the auction. Nitish Kumar Reddy, aged 21, has seen a substantial increase in his value from the INR 20 lakh he was initially bought for in 2023. Reddy earned the Emerging Player of the Year title in IPL 2024, scoring 303 runs at a strike rate of 143 and taking three wickets. Despite missing India's T20I series in Zimbabwe due to injury, Reddy made his international debut in the home T20Is against Bangladesh in October. He is set to travel to Australia with the India A squad for two four-day games starting October 31. (ANI)
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