SRH onboard Klaasen, Cummins and Abhishek Sharma

SunRisers Hyderabad may be setting the tone for their retention strategy. Cricbuzz understands that the franchise has finalized deals with Abhishek Sharma, Pat Cummins and Heinrich Klaasen, though not necessarily in that order. Additionally, it is understood that they are close to retaining two other expected names - Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

More than the names of the players retained, it is the value of the retained players that may be truly eye-popping. Heinrich Klaasen, the hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman from South Africa, appears to have hit it over the park with his signing amount. The word within the IPL circles suggests he may have inked a Rs 23-crore contract with the Hyderabad franchise. Regardless of the staggering value, it's evident that the SRH management highly values his contribution to the team, with nearly 1,000 runs in 35 IPL matches.

It is also learned that Pat Cummins has been signed for Rs 18 crore. The Australia captain, who was bought for Rs 20.50 crore last season and successfully led the side to the IPL final, has agreed to stay put at SRH. Abhishek Sharma, one of the most exciting young players in the Indian T20 circuit, has signed to stay for Rs 14 crore after a stellar showing last season, when he scored 484 runs in 16 games with a jaw-dropping strike rate of over 200 as an opener. Travis Head is also expected to stay on board, while Nitish Kumar Reddy from Visakhapatnam, who earned his India cap earlier this month, will be retained as well. The franchise also has the option to retain these players by exercising the Right to Match (RTM) card at the auction.

According to IPL retention rules, a franchise can retain up to six players, including one uncapped player. This would cost Rs 79 crore from the total purse of Rs 120 crore. The retention slabs are structured as Rs 18 crore for Player No. 1, Rs 14 crore for Player No. 2, Rs 11 crore for Player No. 3, Rs 18 crore for Player No. 4, and Rs 14 crore for Player No. 5. While the franchise has the freedom to pay players any amount within these limits, if the actual payout exceeds the allotment, the excess will be deducted from the auction purse.

The actual retention rule reads like this: "Retention deduction of overall amount instead of fee per player, in this case of 75 Crs irrespective of what amount is paid to 5 players. If the total amount exceeds 75 Crs then actual amount to be deducted. In case the amount is less than 75 Crs then 75 Crs to be deducted."