The first-ever player to be retained before an IPL auction was MS Dhoni in 2014. This occurred as part of the rule that allowed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain a few of their key players ahead of that season's auction. This was a significant moment, marking the beginning of teams retaining players rather than leaving them open to the auction.
In more recent seasons, franchises have continued this trend of retaining core players before the auctions to maintain team stability