The Indian Premier League (IPL) is preparing for another mega auction in 2025, with a significant focus on player retentions. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly solicited input from IPL franchises regarding this matter. There is a growing inclination to expand the number of retained players. Sources indicate that the board has summoned all 10 franchise owners to convene in Ahmedabad for a meeting scheduled for the upcoming week.

“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, majority of the franchises are in favour of having a provision where they can retain about eight players before the auction,” a BCCI source told Times of India.

Notably, in the previous IPL mega auction in 2022, four players were allowed to be retained and one player could be bought back by using the ‘right to match’ (RTM) card. That offered the franchises a chance to retain a total of five players. A maximum of two overseas players could be retained.

However, the franchises feel that in order to maintain continuity in the composition of teams, there needs to be atleast least eight players retained by them. The franchises also want the BCCI to raise the cumulative salary cap to Rs 100 crore from the existing Rs 90 crore since the BCCI has bagged heftier media rights deals.

“Some feel that it doesn’t make sense if the core of the team is broken so frequently. Franchises have identified that there should be scope to retain a 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,” the source said.

Nonetheless, franchises such as Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore faced challenges during the previous mega auction, as reported. Delhi Capitals, which had established a formidable core over time, had to release several key players. The Capitals reached the final in IPL 2020 and consistently made it to the playoffs surrounding the 2020 season.

“There will be some resistance because a few franchises will want 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,” the source said.

(Times of India inputs)