On Saturday (September 28), the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council confirmed that each franchise is allowed to retain upto six players either through direct retention or using Right to Match (RTM) cards.
Furthermore, the council adhered to the impact player rule and increased the team’s purse value for the IPL 2025 mega auction from INR 100 crores (the previous year) to INR 120 crores.
Additionally, there is a major update regarding the match fees for players, retention slabs and list submission date, overseas players’ availability, strict actions against last-minute withdrawals, the uncapped player rule, and the number of RTMs available per team.
Let’s explore how these rules can make the IPL 2025 mega auction a blockbuster event in detail…
Uncapped Player Rule in IPL 2025: MS Dhoni’s Retention
Typically, a cricketer who has yet to make their debut at an international level is categorized as an uncapped player. Also, a capped Indian player who has not been included in the national team’s playing XI or retired from international cricket (including Tests, ODIs, and T20Is) for the past five years, is considered an uncapped player.
For example, the uncapped player in the IPL 2025 mega auction makes it possible for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain the former Indian captain MS Dhoni, who played his last match for India in 2019. It is understood that the franchise would retain its 5-time winning captain for just INR 4 crores as an uncapped player.
Number of Retentions Allowed Per Team
Each franchise is allowed to retain upto six players from its existing squad through a straightforward retention policy and RTM cards based on these combinations and conditions:
- Five Capped Players: Retention limit upto five capped players, which includes the Indian and foreign players as well. At the same time, you need to know that there isn’t any limitation on number of overseas cricketers. It means that you can retain all five capped foreign cricketers.
- Two Uncapped Players: If four capped players are retained, including the Indians and overseas, then it is possible to retain upto two uncapped players.
How many RTM Cards a Team can use during the IPL 2025 Mega Auction?
Every team can use a maximum of six RTM cards and the limitation varies upon the number of retentions made ahead of the auction. For example, if any franchise retains upto four players, they can use two RTM cards during the auction.
Retention Slabs for IPL 2025 Mega Auction
If any franchise plans to retain five uncapped players, then the auction purse value will be reduced in the below-mentioned ways:
- 1st player retention: INR 18 crores
- 2nd player retention: INR 14 crores
- 3rd player retention: INR 11 crores
- 4th player retention: INR 18 crores
- 5th player retention: INR 14 crores
It becomes clear that the last two retentions will have a higher purse value than the third player. Most importantly, the purse value will further decrease by INR 4 crores if a sixth player or uncapped player is retained.
Last Date to Submit Retention List
For the upcoming 18th IPL season, all franchises should submit the retention list on 31st October 2024 (Thursday) by 5 pm according to the Indian Standard Timings (IST). Every team must confirm and submit the retained players list before the mega auction.
Match Fees Per Player in IPL 2025
Apart from the annual salary, each player will additionally receive a match fee of INR 7.5 lakhs which could motivate them to participate in all the matches in a season.
BCCI Strict action: Overseas Players Availability and Last Minute Withdrawals
The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has made the rules much stricter regarding the availability of overseas players and last-minute pullouts.
An overseas player failing to register for the mega auction would become ineligible to be a part of the following year’s event as well.
Mainly, several franchise owners have raised the issue that a few players are withdrawing themselves at the last minute and are targeting only the small auctions, thereby grabbing huge payouts. However, BCCI’s new rule clarifies that if a player gets selected in the auction and conveys his unwillingness to participate before the commencement of the season, he will be banned from taking part in the next two IPL editions.
Impact Player Rule in IPL 2025
The BCCI has confirmed that the impact player rule will be continued for the IPL 2025 to 2027 cycle. Interestingly, the impact player will receive the match fees of INR 7.5 lakhs, which is the same as of a cricketer in the playing XI.
Final Opinion:
Overall, it is expected that the IPL 2025 mega auction is going to be much more intriguing as the six-player retention rule encourages franchise owners to come up with unique strategies and aggressively bid on quality players.
Ultimately, the upcoming 18th season promises fans a thrilling and enjoyable experience in every match as the well-settled teams and the less strong ones will benefit by retaining their six core players and acquiring new players to build a competitive strong.