As the latest IPL season approaches, the league's franchises eagerly await the final decision on the rules surrounding player retentions and right-to-match (RTM) options.
The IPL 2025 will feature a mega-auction before the season commences, a highly debated event with opinions divided over its impact on team continuity.
The BCCI is currently deliberating on the exact rules and regulations for the upcoming auction, with an announcement expected soon. According to Cricbuzz, teams may be allowed to retain five or six players, in addition to an increased salary cap.
The BCCI is reportedly against an eight-player retention policy, fearing it would remove too many star players from the auction pool, thereby diminishing the event's excitement.
The RTM option, which allows franchises to re-acquire a player they previously had by matching the highest bid, might be excluded this time. This option was removed in the 2021 auction to give new franchises, such as Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, access to a larger player pool.
However, an ESPNcricinfo report suggests that one franchise owner proposed a policy allowing only one retention per team, with the rest being acquired through the RTM option to ensure players receive fair market prices.
Cricbuzz reported last week that the salary cap for each team could be set at Indian rupees (INR) 1.2 billion for the upcoming season, up from INR 1 billion last year. This increase could result in top retained players earning around INR 200 million.
The BCCI is expected to clarify the salary cap formula to the teams during their upcoming meeting.
At the end of July, potentially on the 31st, the BCCI will meet with IPL franchise owners to reach a consensus on retention and RTM rules for the auction.
With each franchise having different perspectives due to their vested interests, these discussions are expected to be extensive and require significant negotiation.
Additionally, the meeting will address the salary cap for each team and the corresponding pay for retained players.
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