IPL mega auction: Six retentions, RTM back, Impact Player to stay

September 29, 2024
3:17 am

Franchises can retain up to six players each, the right-to-match (RTM) option is back at the auction, and the Impact Player rule will remain in place for IPL 2025. That aside, the auction purse is bigger at INR 120 crore (US$ 14.33 million approx.), INR 20 crore more than in the last auction. These are among the most significant decisions taken by the IPL governing council, announced on Saturday, in connection with the retention of players, which will be applied ahead of the 2025 mega auction.

According to the retention rules, shared with the ten IPL franchises late on Saturday evening, a maximum of six players, including a maximum of two uncapped Indians, can be retained prior to the auction. The IPL has also said that a maximum of five capped players – all Indian or all overseas or a combination – can be retained.

Retention slabs

In case a franchise wants to retain five players, the following amounts will be deducted from the purse:

For the first three retentions – INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 11 crore
For the remaining two – INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore
This means a franchise retaining five players before the auction will lose INR 75 crore of the overall purse of INR 120 crore

As for the uncapped players, the IPL has stuck with INR 4 crore, as was the case in the 2021 mega auction. That means a franchise retaining six players will lose INR 79 crore from its purse, and go into the auction with just INR 41 crore.

Decks cleared for ‘uncapped’ Dhoni to be retained

If five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) want, they can retain their former captain and talisman MS Dhoni as an uncapped player.

This is because the IPL has decided to bring back a rule that it had instituted in 2008, allowing Indian players who had retired from international at least five years prior to go into the auction as an uncapped player. The rule was scrapped in 2021. However, during the broader discussion on uncapped players, the IPL informed the franchises that it was reviving the rule.

In the document listing the retentions rules shared with franchises, the IPL described the rule pointing out it would only be applicable for Indian players : “a Capped player will become an uncapped player who has in the five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or (b) does not have a Central Contract with BCCI. This will be applicable for Indian Players only,”

Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, Dhoni was retained as the second player by CSK for INR 12 crore. Dhoni, who turned 43 in July, has only played in the IPL since retiring in 2020. In case CSK now decide to retain him as an uncapped player, Dhoni would be paid INR 4 crore.

Impact Player not going away

Despite objections from franchises and concerns from high-profile players like India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma that it could be detrimental to the development of allrounders, the IPL has decided to retain the Impact Player rule, which it said will be in play for the next three seasons – 2025, 2026 and 2027. Since it was introduced in the 2023 season, the rule has stirred wide debate over whether it is indeed beneficial to Indian cricket, which was the original motive, or whether it could be hurting the development of allrounders.

That was one of the points the IPL discussed with the franchises during a meeting on July 31, which was attended by several team owners and team principals. While there was no unanimous nod to the rule, the majority was in favour of it being retained.

Nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded since the Impact Player rule, which allows a team to sub out a first-XI player and field a specialist batter or bowler depending on the match situation. The IPL believes the rule has managed to enhance the product by creating such spectacles and it is good from the spectators’ point of view, too.

RTM card – final bidder to get extra opportunity

The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player, who was in their ranks in the preceding seasons, during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. It was previously used in the 2017 mega auction but discarded ahead of the 2022 mega auction.

The IPL has decided to reintroduce it after at least three franchises argued in its favour. It is understood that owners of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) said that they wanted seven-to-eight RTMs. However, players have generally not favoured the RTM only because they feel they don’t get the desired price tag as a result.

To advance the cause of the players, the IPL has now modified the rule. The rule now reads: “The highest bidder will be given one final opportunity to raise their bid for a player before the team holding the RTM card can exercise their right. For example, if Team 1 holds the RTM for Player X and Team 2 has placed the highest bid of Rs. 6 Cr, then Team 1 will be first asked if they will exercise RTM, if Team 1 agrees, then Team 2 will have the chance to increase their bid. If Team 2 raises their bid to Rs. 9 Cr, then Team 1 can use the RTM and acquire Player X for Rs. 9 Cr. If Team 2 chooses not to raise the bid and keeps it at Rs. 6 Cr, Team 1 can use the RTM and get Player X for Rs. 6 Cr.”

Injury replacements and player loans

Till IPL 2024, franchises had to seek a replacement for an injured player before their seventh match of the season. From IPL 2025, teams can seek replacements till up to the 12th match in the league phase. While the rule has never been triggered yet, the IPL has decided to “reinstate” the player loan process, which can only be activated during the season.

Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo