Only two unlimited people are to be retained by the Punjab Kings.

At the future mega auction for the IPL 2025, PBKS are expected to have the biggest handbag.

Just two of the IPL 2024 squad's unlimited players, bowlers Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, are likely to be kept by the Punjab Kings. They will have four right-to-match options that can be used to get back their players in the future giant auction, with the largest handbag, which is likely to be in excess of INR 100 billion.

ESPNcricinfo has learned PBKS were also good to keep India quickly bowling Arshdeep Singh, who was their second-highest wicket-taker next season with 19 innings. Some of the high status people not retained by PBKS ahead of the auction include Harshal Patel, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.

PBKS does lose at least INR 8 billion from their handbag of INR 120 billion for retaining two unlimited players. Shashank and Prabhsimran were their two top-scorers ( 354 and 334 runs respectively ) in IPL 2024, where they finished ninth out of ten. However, both pitchers made outstanding starts in their season-high, completing a record-breaking hunt of 262 against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.

Since 2014, PBKS has n't qualified for the IPL playoffs and has changed their coaching structure in an effort to improve their performance, replacing Ricky Ponting as head coach.

The ten companies must post their listings of retained gamers to the IPL by October 31. Before the big auction, the teams were able to retain up to six players, with the exception of two unrestricted players and five capped internationals. While the IPL has set maximum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained- INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the next, INR 11 crore for the next, INR 18 crore for the fifth, INR 14 crore for the second, and INR 4 crore for an unlimited player- the franchises are complimentary to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.