The Governing Council issued rules for the next three seasons of IPL. This included rules like retention, right-to-match option, and franchise purse. But in the meeting, a big decision was also taken on foreign players coming in the mini-auction and earning big money. Now a ban has been imposed on it. Now a rule has been made that the salary of foreign players will be decided in the mini-auction of 2026. This cannot be more than the salary of the player who was sold the most in the mega auction or who took the most money in retention.
Till now it was seen that foreign players were missing the mega auction and after that, they used to participate in the mini-auction. Used to earn big money through this. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are such examples. Both of them had created a new record for the most expensive IPL players by participating in the mini auction last year.
Governing Council's rules for overseas players
In an effort to allay the resentment of foreign players who opt to manipulate the auction system by taking advantage of the supply-demand imbalance during the mini-auctions to reap large profits for themselves, the IPL Governing Council has also put out additional regulations. A foreign player will need to register for the mega auction (2025) in accordance with the new rules. If he doesn't, he will not be able to attend the next mini-auction either. In the event of an injury or medical condition that requires confirmation from the home board, an exception to this rule may be made.
A pay cap will be imposed on overseas players starting with the 2026 mini-auction. The highest retention price of INR 18 crores or the highest auction price in the mega auction, whichever is lower, will decide the maximum fee that an international player can potentially earn from the mini-auction.
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