Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council has recently revamped the rules on player retention in advance of the 2025 IPL mega auction. The franchises are allowed to retain up to six players now, and a team can exercise Right to Match (RTM) on such players if it does not retain any player in the first round of the 'retention list'. The retention list will contain a mix of Indian and overseas players, though only five capped players shall be allowed. The team budget has also been raised up to Rs. 120 crores in comparison with the last season's amount of Rs. 100 crores and the Impact Player rule stands. Teams are keeping their eyes glued to the auctions that have just knocked on the doors and are making all efforts to hold on to their frontline international stars. Here are five overseas stars teams simply cannot let go of: Top 5 Overseas Stars IPL Teams Can’t Afford to Lose Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals) Jos Buttler is an opening batsman for Rajasthan Royals and perhaps one of the biggest names in the IPL. Buttler, with 3,582 runs, has an average of 38.11 and strike rate of 147.52. His last couple of seasons have not been up to expectations as he hardly participated in match-winning performances, after a record-breaking season of 2022 where Buttler managed to deliver and scored 863 runs. Jos Buttler's ability to build innings makes him indispensable. A great partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order makes him a crucial player, and the Royals are most likely going to retain him for the next season. Also Read | Rishabh Pant May Lead This Team in IPL 2025 Instead of DC: Reports Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants) Nicholas Pooran is considered to be one of the most destructive finishers of the game in T20. Being such a big-match hitter under pressure, he values himself not only in international cricket but also in IPL. Pooran had an amazing campaign for the Lucknow Super Giants in the last season and amassed 499 runs at a staggering strike rate of 178.21. With an overall IPL strike rate of 162.29, Pooran will be a highly sought-after player if Lucknow doesn't retain him, making him a prime candidate to stay with the team. Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad) Travis Head has been a huge part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad's run to the IPL 2024 final. Along with Abhishek Sharma, he gave match-changing starts during the Powerplay and made 567 runs at a scintillating strike rate of 191.55. His current form for Australia across all formats only adds to his value. SRH must retain him going forward to continue doing his damage at the top of the order. Also Read | Most Unsuccessful Teams in the History of IPL Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans) One of the most reliable performers in the IPL, Rashid Khan has taken 149 wickets from 121 games while showing an exceptional economy rate of 6.82. His ability to change the game always helps shift the balance of the match in favor of his team. However, his 2024 season was something he would look to forget (10 wickets at an economy of 8.40), his overall record and batting down the order make him a valuable all-rounder that Gujarat Titans are sure to retain. Matheesha Pathirana (Chennai Super Kings) Matheesha Pathirana's injury-plagued 2024 season limited his games to only six. But the variation in slingy action of bowling by Pathirana was outstanding. Pathirana has taken 34 wickets in 20 IPL matches at an economy of 7.88. Pathirana's death bowling skills make him unlikely to bid adieu to Chennai Super Kings as bowlers of his substance are a rare in the IPL. These five cricketers will probably sit at the top of shopping list of their franchises for the mega IPL 2025 auction.