In May 2024, BCCI confirmed the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, and since then the fans and franchises have been speculating about the retention policy for the next season. And now, the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) has initiated the IPL retention process to finalize the retention policy.
IPL Retention
The IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024 ended a few months back with great enthusiasm. The league is one of the richest and most-watched leagues where overseas and Indian players participate. The BCCI handles the IPL auction and other stuff of the League to keep the tournament fair and transparent.
After the 2024 IPL season, the Board and Governing Council of IPL announced the mega auction for the 2025 season meaning the team gets to change their players from the core and have a fresh start in the tournament. The IPL retention is critical for every franchise as it is the base for teams to form a strategy for the next season.
Earlier, the BCCI mentioned that they would discuss or begin the process of IPL retention after the T20 World Cup, and now with the fantastic win of India, the BCCI is back to IPL business. According to the reports, the BCCI has initiated the IPL retention process for the next season, where the Board will organize a meeting with all the franchise CEOs to discuss the process.
The fans can expect the final retention policy rules for the IPL 2025 mega auction by the end of July 2024.
Franchises Opinion for IPL Retention
The IPL 2025 mega auction will give the chance to franchises to keep the best talent in the squad and bring some changes to win the next season’s trophy. IPL retention policy is their best bet for the IPL 2025 strategy. According to reports, the ten franchises of the IPL have different views on the IPL retention policy.
The Franchise debates over the 3+1 retention rules, where the teams are allowed to retain three players in the team and one additional player through the RTM (Right To Match) card for the auction. Some franchises request five to seven retentions, whereas some suggest only RTM cards for the auction or a maximum of eight retentions.
The opinions of the ten franchises for the IPL retention policy are diverse, which increases the complexity of the situation. According to reports, IPL’s Chief Operating Officer, Hemang Amin has recently spoken to the franchise leaders to seek their opinion on the retention policy and salary caps for the coming years.
What can you expect from BCCI on retention policy?
The upcoming meeting of BCCI with franchise owners on the salary cap for coming years and the retention policy of IPL players will clear the buzz around the matter. However, let’s see what we can expect from the board for the IPL retention policy:
- Impact Player Rule: The BCCI may bring the Impact player rule for the next season. The rule was first introduced in 2023 when the team’s impact player can be brought into the game before the innings at the fall of the wicket or end of an over or when the batter retires, meaning teams are playing with 12 players instead of 11 players. The player can substitute the one player from the original playing XI.
- Salary cap: The current salary cap of the IPL auction is ₹100 crore for the franchises. According to reports, the owners are requesting to increase the salary cap to 110 to 120 crore. The upcoming meeting can either increase the salary cap given to the team for the auction or it can rule out the possibility for a hike in the salary cap for the IPL 2025 auction.
- RTM card: According to reports, the board will include the RTM cards for the auction to allow the franchises to retain their players by matching the final bid of the player made in the auction.
The 3+1 retention rule implemented in the 2021 IPL auction can continue for the 2025 season, but the franchises greatly oppose this rule, so let’s see what the upcoming meeting holds for 2025 IPL retention.
When is the IPL 2025 Mega Auction scheduled?
The Board has not revealed the IPL 2025 Mega auction schedule. According to reports, the next season of IPL can begin in March or May. The fans can expect the mega auction at the end of 2024.
The BCCI will soon release the schedule on a retention policy for next season’s mega auction, so keep an eye on the official channels.
By the end of July month, we will get the IPL retention rules for the next season’s auction that will create the path for team building and strategies for the coming years to get their hands on the IPL trophy.