As the Indian Premier League (IPL) approaches its mega auction for the 2025 season, franchises are racing against the deadline of October 31, 5 pm IST to finalize their player retentions. In a strategic twist to maximize competitiveness, each team is allowed to retain up to six players from their 2024 squad, with specific restrictions to maintain fairness. (More Cricket News)
Under the rules, a franchise can retain up to six players, which may include a maximum of five capped players—either Indian or international. Additionally, two of these six players may be uncapped Indian players. This flexibility allows teams to preserve their core while providing opportunities to bring fresh talent into the league.
Each team begins with an INR 120 crore purse, a notable 20% increase from last season. For retention, the league has set an intricate cost structure. The first retained player deducts INR 18 crore from the purse, the second INR 14 crore, and the third INR 11 crore.
The fourth and fifth retainers add INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore, respectively. Uncapped players are more affordable, with only INR 4 crore deducted per player.
To add another layer, the IPL has introduced flexibility in splitting the INR 75-crore minimum retention cost for five capped players. This means a team can assign different values to individual players, allowing a high-value player to command more than the standard INR 18 crore if the team reaches an agreement.
Additionally, teams retaining fewer than six players are eligible for the Right-to-Match (RTM) option at the auction. RTM enables teams to re-sign their former players by matching the highest bid from competing franchises. However, this year, if the RTM is invoked, the bidding team gets one final chance to raise the bid.
The 2025 season also sees a return of the uncapped status for retired Indian players like MS Dhoni, Piyush Chawla and Sandeep Sharma who haven’t played international cricket in the past five years. Retaining these players will cost only INR 4 crore.
