How much money has RCB retained Virat Kohli for ahead of IPL 2025 Auction?

Virat Kohli's 16-year-old relationship with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) witnesses an extension as the ace batter has been named in the franchise's retention list ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. He has been retained by the franchise on each occasion ever since roping him as a youth player in the inaugural auction of the competition.

Much like occasions that have preceded this, Kohli is the top retention for the franchise. According to the retention slabs recommended by the governing body, the top pick should be allotted at least INR 18 crore from the money from the purse. This amount is subject to individual negotiations as the likes of Heinrich Klaasen and Nicholas Pooran are earning figures well north of the prescribed figure.

In Kohli's case, he too has managed to breach the INR 20 crore mark, as he has been retained by RCB for a sum of INR 21 crore. This makes him the most expensive Indian retention of all time, and second behind Klaasen, who has been retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 23 crore.

Along with Kohli, the three-time finalists have retained Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal to enter the auction with a staggering purse amount.

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Kohli was retained for INR 15 crore ahead of the 2022 mega auction

RCB have named Kohli as their top retention after each cycle, and it was not different when the previous three-year phase ended in 2021. On that occasion, Kohli was offered just short of the highest possible amount recommended by the retention slab.

While the limit was INR 16 crore, Kohli settled for INR 15 crore, while the pair of Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj were handed contracts of INR 11 crore and 7 crore, respectively.

Despite a dismal 2022 IPL campaign, Kohli has justified his price tag, with back-to-back stellar seasons with the bat in the 2023 and the 2024 editions. The ace batter even won the Orange Cap for the second time in his career for his exploits in the most recent edition.