The Board of Control for Cricket in India is set to discuss with IPL franchise owners increasing Player retention for the upcoming IPL 2025 Mega Auction later this year.
BCCI on Discussions to Increase Player Retention for IPL 2025 Mega Auction
According to reports, BCCI has informally asked for suggestions from the IPL franchises to increase the number of retained players. On this occasion, it is said that BCCI has invited all 10 franchises to discuss the topic.
“Things are at a very nascent stage. The board is seeking recommendations to carry the league forward. Player- retention is a major factor in that. Going by the informal discussions, the majority of franchises are in favor of having a provision where they can retain about eight players before the auction”. said a BCCI source.
During the last mega auction, franchises were allowed to retain only four players and one player could be bought back using the ‘Right to match’ card which means a total of five members can be retained by franchises. But only two overseas players can be retained.
Salary Cap for IPL 2025 mega auction
It is also revealed that the franchises have expressed their desire to raise the cumulative salary cap to INR 100 crore from the existing INR 90 Crore.
“Some feel that it doesn’t make sense if the team’s core is broken so frequently. Franchises have identified that there should be a scope to retain the larger part of the core team. There are a couple of objections to this suggestion. Nothing specific has been discussed about the RTM or cap on overseas retentions”. said the source.
The IPL mega auction will be an opportunity for all franchises to rearrange the squads to build their team with a strong core if they have to be successful in upcoming seasons.
Rajasthan Royals is such an example who had a fresh start in the IPL 2022 auctions where they signed players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Trent Boult. They also signed many raising youngsters notable Yashasvi Jaiswal who has been one of the best performers in Tests and T20Is these days.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals who suffered the most before 2020, had signed many foreign players putting up a good team by which they reached the finals in the season. But they have been underperforming since the recent mega auction which led them poor run in the following seasons.
“There will be some resistance because a few franchises will have a bigger pool of players in the auction to rebuild their teams. One must remember that there are 10 teams now and if the number of retentions is increased, then the ‘cream pool’ will become very small. The meeting on April 16 is likely to revolve around these talking points,” said the BCCI source.
After the discussions on the mega auction, the cash-rich league is expected to witness some notable changes eyeing to extend its dominance in the world. Coming to the ongoing tournament, Rajasthan Royals currently tops the IPL 2024 points table with four consecutive victories.
Rajasthan Royals are set to play their next match against Gujarat Titans on April 10 at Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium.
