IPL 2025 Auction: New Retentions And RTM Rules Announced

IPL 2025 will see a mega-auction take place before the season gets underway. Opinions on the event have been divided over the years, with several prominent figures advocating to get rid of it, in order for IPL teams to maintain a semblance of continuity rather than shuffling teams every four years or so.

New player retention rules announced for 2025-27

1). Franchises can retain up to six players from their existing squad either via the retention or RTM option

2). Teams can retain a maximum of five capped (Indian and overseas) and two uncapped players

3). Capped Indian players will become uncapped if they haven’t played international cricket or held a BCCI contract in the last five years

4). The purse for each team in the auction has been increased to INR 120 crore per team

5). It is now mandatory for overseas players to register for the mega auction. If they don't, they will be ineligible to register for the following year's auction

What does the new RTM rule say?

Previously, a franchise could use the RTM card to buy back a released player during a bidding war. However, it won’t be enough in the upcoming mega auction. If a team uses the RTM card after a bidding war, the team winning would be given another opportunity to increase the bid for said player. In such a case, the team holding the RTM option can match that increased bid or withdraw.

IPL Governing Council to meet on Saturday, rules could be announced in 24 hours - report

Cricbuzz have reported that the IPL Governing Council (GC) will meet on the evening of Saturday, September 28 at the new NCA centre in Bengaluru. An announcement on the rules for the upcoming season could therefore come within 24 hours of the meeting. The report also says the BCCI is likely to settle on 5-6 retentions per team, including the RTM option.

BCCI likely to allow five retentions with no RTM option – report

According to a report from Indian Express on September 25, the BCCI is set to provide the franchises with a total of five retention options, but to right-to match card. There is no confirmation yet on whether there will be limits on the number of overseas or uncapped players that can be retained.

IPL auction likely to be held overseas in November – report

The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction for the upcoming season is set to be held in November, claimed a Cricbuzz report. The bidding war could happen outside India like the previous season, probably in the Middle East, with Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi as potential hosts, as per the report.

It added: "Saudi Arabia, which has been making heavy investments in sports of late, including cricket, is also reportedly interested in hosting the auction. There is no clarity on the venue at this stage."

BCCI - Franchise owners' meeting updates

KKR, SRH bat for higher retentions

According to a Cricbuzz report, the owners of KKR and SRH seemed to be fiercely against the mega auction during the meeting between BCCI and the franchise owners that was held on Wednesday (July 31) evening in Mumbai. The report also suggested that Shah Rukh Khan, the KKR owner might have got into a heated argument with PBKS owner Ness Wadia over the number of retentions as the former advocated for a higher number of retentions and the latter seemed against it.

DC, PBKS in favour of mega auctions

According to the same report, while the PBKS owner was involved in an argument over the number of retentions, the DC owner Parth Jindal was quoted as saying, "Some people said that there should not be a mega auction at all. There should be only smaller auctions. I'm not in that camp. I feel that it evens the playing field and it's very good for everyone." Jindal was also against the Impact Player rule.

BCCI to consult with IPL Governing Council

After the end of the meeting, BCCI released a statement saying that the feedback and recommendations of the franchise owners would be taken to the IPL Governing Council "for further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations."

IPL teams unhappy with absentee overseas players

A report from Cricbuzz dated July 31 has outlined that IPL team owners are unhappy with the way in which certain foreign players pull out of the tournament despite being picked up by teams. The franchises reportedly want the BCCI to address this issue, and it is likely to be one of the talking points for their meeting on Wednesday.

On a similar note, teams are also said to be displeased with players skipping the mega auction but registering for the mini-auction where prices are often inflated and they can secure higher-value contracts.

It has also been reported that the teams will request the BCCI to leave matters of incremental pay (mostly in cases of uncapped talents being picked up for cheap and developing into world-class players) purely in their hands, and not provide any central ruling on the topic.

Uncapped players may have dedicated retention slots - reports

With the meeting between IPL owners and the BCCI set to take place on July 31, a report from Times of India says that franchises could be allowed to retain 2-3 uncapped players under separate retention spots. So far, uncapped players (i.e., those who have not played for their national team) have never been allotted separate retention slots.

But franchises investing in young players to aid their development may be rewarded with an additional opportunity to keep them around, rather than developing the talent and watching them play for another team.

The TOI report also states that contrary to earlier reports, the Impact Player rule could stick around thanks to the insistence of broadcasters.

Impact Player rule might be scrapped

According to a Cricbuzz report, the Impact Player rule will be discussed during the meeting between BCCI and the franchise owners. The report says that while franchises and players are largely not in favour of the rule continuing, the broadcasters seem to be strongly in favour of it.

Reports: RTM option could be off the table, 5-6 retentions likely

Cricbuzz reported last week that in addition to the increased salary cap, the number of retentions for each team could be five or six players. The BCCI is reportedly not in favour of the eight retention policy as they feel too many star players would be taken out of the auction pool, making the event lacklustre.

The Right To Match (RTM) option, which allows franchises to automatically buy a player who represented them last season if they match the highest bid, could be off the table this time around. It was removed in the 2021 auction to allow new franchises Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans a larger player pool.

ESPNCricinfo reported that one franchise owner had suggested a policy of only one retention per team, and the rest (presumably six to seven) could be through the RTM option, which would allow the players to earn a fair market price.

Salary cap for teams to be set at INR 120 crore - reports

According to a Cricbuzz report last week, the salary cap for each team for the upcoming season could be set at INR 120 crore. Last year, the amount was INR 100 crore for each franchise.

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This increase in the cap could mean each team's top retained player could be paid around INR 20 crore for their services. Whatever the amount is, the BCCI is expected to explain their formula to the respective teams during their meeting.

IPL owners set to meet BCCI at month's end

At the end of July (with some reports saying the 31st of the month), the BCCI is set to sit down with the various owners of IPL franchises in order to come to a consensus on the retention and Right To Match (RTM) rules for this auction.

With each franchise putting forward a different point of view due to their vested interests, it is expected that discussions on the topic could be drawn out, and require extensive negotiation.

Also on the agends are the salary cap for each team, and by extension, the amount for which each retained player will remain at their franchise.

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