MLC International Retentions: Cummins and Head to Skip 2025 Edition

Key Retentions and Releases Across Franchises

Freedom

• Retained: Steven Smith (availability uncertain due to Test commitments), Glenn Maxwell, Jack Edwards, Lockie Ferguson.
• Released: Travis Head (due to Test commitments and franchise strategy), Akeal Hossein, Andrew Tye.

Unicorns

• Retained: Haris Rauf (sole Pakistani retention).
• Released: Captain Pat Cummins (due to Test series in West Indies).
• Core Players: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short, Finn Allen (forming strong top order).

MI New York

• Released: Tim David (consistent with disengagement strategy), Kagiso Rabada (surprise exclusion), Dewald Brevis (franchise blue-eyed boy).
• Retained: Keiron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult (maintaining glamour quotient).

Orcas

• Retained: South African duo Ryan Rickleton, Henreich Klaasen.
• Released: Quinton de Cock (after two seasons), 6 other foreigners including Michael Bracewell, Nandre Burger.

Texas Super Kings

• Retained: Faf du Plessis (expected to lead again, 41st birthday in June).
• Released: Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, Naveen Ul Haq, Aiden Markram (thinning foreign contingent).

Los Angeles Knight Riders

• Released: Jason Roy (multi-year contract terminated), David Miller, Alex Carey, Shakib Al Hasan, Josh Little (wholesale changes).
• Retained: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Spencer Johnson (core loyalists).

This cleaned-up version removes fluff, URLs, and redundant details while retaining key information for a cricket news writer.