Ahead of the mega auction in Nov, the IPL governing council has decided that the 10 franchises can retain six cricketers. Also, the Right to Match (RTM) card, which was done away with before the 2022 mega auction, has been brought back.
“It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for retentions and RTMs. The 6 retentions/RTM’s can have a maximum of 5 capped players (Indian and overseas) and a maximum of 2 uncapped players,” the IPL said in statement.
Interestingly, the IPL GC, which met on Saturday, has also come up with a rider which is a ‘pay more to retain more’ formula, wherein the price for the fourth and fifth retentions come at a higher cost. With each team having an increased auction purse of £12 mn each, there will be a reduction of £1.8 mn, £1.4 mn and , £1.1 mn respectively for the first three retentions. The subsequent fourth and fifth retentions will see the franchise purse getting lighter by £1.8 mn and £1.4 mn. Effectively, five retentions will come at a cost of £7.5 mn, leaving the franchise with £4.5 mn to complete the lineup. The price for the uncapped player has been pegged at £400,000, which further reduces a franchise’s purse. In another key decision, the GC has decided to retain the Impact Player rule.
‘Uncapped’ Dhoni can be retained
Chennai Super Kings can retain their former captain MS Dhoni as an ‘uncapped’ player because an old rule first introduced in 2008 and scrapped in 2021 has been brought back: Indian players who have been retired from international cricket for a period of at least five years can go into the auction pool as an ‘uncapped’ player. Dhoni, for example, retired from international cricket in 2020 and can be retained for £400,000. CSK had shelled out £1.2 mn to retain him in 2022.
Match fee introduced
In a landmark move, players featuring in IPL-2025 are set to receive a match fee of Rs 750,000 apart from the auction fee.
