Credit: IPL/X
Ramandeep Singh was among the six players who were retained by the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the ongoing IPL 2025. The franchise retained him as an uncapped Indian for INR 4 crore. However, recently, Ramandeep revealed that he got an offer from multiple franchises before the auction who were asking him to not get retained and were offering INR 9-10 crore.
However, Ramandeep Singh decided to play for show his loyalty for KKR and also rejected offers from other franchises. “It's a confidence booster to be retained. Prior to the auction, a lot of teams told me 'don't get retained, we'll pick you, we're ready to go up to 9-10 crore'. But loyalty matters a lot to me," Ramandeep said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo.
KKR gave me a platform when I needed it the most: Ramandeep Singh
Speaking further, Ramandeep Singh said how Kolkata Knight Riders gave him the platform to showcase his talent. The right-hander had a good season for KKR last year where he contributed with quick 20s and 30s throughout the season. He amassed 125 runs from 15 matches at a strike rate of 201.61.
“KKR gave me a platform when I needed it the most. I remember around the time retentions were to be decided, Venky [Mysore, KKR chief executive] sir called and said, 'you're in our retention plans, what are you thinking? It's eventually your call - if you were to get into the auction, we'll try and RTM," Ramandeep Singh said.
“But I told him I'm happy to get retained. Once you're in the auction, there's no guarantee you'll be in the same team, and I didn't want to leave KKR. For me, a few crores less didn't make a difference. I wanted to respect their word," he further added.
