The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a new twist to the Right-To-Match (RTM) rule for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, which has sparked complaints from various franchises. The BCCI had previously confirmed the retention rules, allowing each franchise to retain a maximum of six players, with the RTM option included.
However, the recent adjustment in the RTM process has led to dissatisfaction among teams, who believe that the revised rule undermines the original intent of the mechanism.
The Traditional RTM Process
Under the previous RTM rule, a franchise could retain a player by matching the highest bid placed on him at the auction. This system ensured that the player’s market value was accurately reflected while allowing the original franchise to retain key players at competitive prices.
The RTM was considered a valuable tool for teams to hold onto their top talent without overpaying beyond what the market-determined as the player’s value. The process was simple—if a player received a final bid of Rs. 6 crore, the original team could match that bid and retain the player at the same amount.
The New Rule and Franchises’ Concerns
In the new version of the RTM rule, however, the process has become more complicated. Now, if a franchise chooses to exercise the RTM, the bidding team is given the option to raise its offer to an arbitrarily higher value before the original team can finalize its RTM. For example, if Team 2 places the highest bid for a player at Rs. 6 crore and Team 1, holding the RTM, decides to match it, Team 2 can increase its bid to any amount, say Rs. 9 crore.
Team 1 would then have to either match the new bid or lose the player. Franchises argue that this change undermines the principle of establishing a fair market value for the player and opens the door to unpredictable price hikes.
The Impact on Auction Strategy
The main issue raised by franchises is that the new rule allows for arbitrary increases in bids, creating a scenario where teams could be forced to pay inflated prices that do not reflect the player’s true market value.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, franchises believe that this shift erodes the strategic advantage that the RTM was originally designed to provide. With the final date for retention decisions approaching on October 31, teams have formally lodged their concerns with the BCCI, hoping for a reconsideration of the controversial rule change.
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