18 cricketers end careers across formats in 2025

• Pujara, "the Wall," retired from all cricket formats, a blow to fans.
• 2025 sees 18 retirements, including Pooran, Klaasen, Rohit & Kohli from Tests.
• Stoinis, Smith retired from ODIs; filling void left by stars is a challenge.

Cheteshwar Pujara, fondly known as the “Wall” of India’s Test team, has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket, leaving fans heartbroken. The Saurashtra batter, celebrated for his resilience

and match-winning knocks, stood firm against the fiercest bowling attacks abroad, often taking painful blows on his body but never giving up his wicket.

Pujara has become the 18th cricketer to announce retirement in 2025, following 17 others who stepped away from the game in the past eight months.

This year has already seen several big names bid farewell, including Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen, whose decision to quit international cricket at a young age shocked fans. While Pooran was a proven match-winner for the West Indies, Klaasen earned a reputation as South Africa’s dynamic wicketkeeper-batter.

Other notable retirements include New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal, India’s fast bowler Varun Aaron, Afghanistan’s Shapoor Zadran, India’s wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne, India’s spinner Piyush Chawla, and West Indies’ Andre Russell.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Announced Retirement From Test Cricket

In addition, many players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from Test cricket this year. The Indian team toured England without these two stars for a five-Test match series, managing to draw the series. Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews also retired from Test cricket this year.

From Stoinis To Smith: Stars Who Retired From ODIs This Year

Several cricketers have bid farewell to ODIs this year, including Australia’s Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith, along with Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim. With four months still left in the year, more retirements are likely, and filling the void left by these seasoned players will be a tough challenge.