The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly established guidelines for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. Franchises are expected to have the option to retain up to five players from their current squads. Contrary to earlier expectations, the Right to Match (RTM) may not be available for franchises looking to reclaim players after they enter the auction pool.
The authority was anticipated to declare the verdict on the retentions and auction regulations as early as last month. But, however, a substantial lag has been experienced with the decision concerning the announcement still being withheld following the meeting of the BCCI with the IPL team owners.
Differences Between Team Owners Were Compelling. While some asked for as much as eight retentions, others begged for the existing retention policy to be observed. From the Indian Express, this hasn’t been the case, for the BCCI believes that five retentions allows the franchises to keep their main team or change it completely.
There was a lot of anticipation that the RTM would be back as it was absent in the preceding mega auction. The clause was deleted regarding the then-new franchises Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). So that they could have a level playing field in terms of the auction pool.
There is no clarity on the number of overseas player retentions allowed before the IPL mega auction
As talk and reports on the five-retention model continue, it remains ambiguous as to how many foreign players one team can actually retain within its fold. The potential retention amount for uncapped players is also still a puzzle. Additionally, the promised expansion of the holder’s rule to include a provision for the retention of former players as uncapped active players is still being awaited.
Another issue that will most likely spark intense discussions is the breakdown of retention costs per player retained. It can be recalled that during the last IPL mega auction, when a maximum of four players could be retained, the slabs were INE 26 crore, INR 20 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 10 crore. Players who were uncapped by the IPL were contracted at 2 million INR.
The prevailing system calls for a sharp censure since there are instances when a player’s earnings do not reflect what they would have earned in an auction. It will be recalled that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner Kavya Maran had strongly recommended negotiations carried out without limits set previously by BCCI.
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