The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will likely change the retention rule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the mega auction which will take place between December and February 2025. The cricket board will likely to permit teams to retain up to six players. Earlier, during the 2022 mega auction the franchises were allowed to retain only four players with no RTM provision.
IPL's most controversial impact player rule will be there for the upcoming season of the tournament. Apart from them their are reports that former India head coach will join Rajasthan Royals as their next coach for the upcoming season.
“It appears that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is unlikely to do away with the mega auction, despite some franchises advocating for its removal at a recent meeting between IPL franchise owners and BCCI officials. However, the Board may permit teams to retain up to six players, potentially allowing for a combination of retention and Right to Match (RTM) options. Previously in 2022, the BCCI had only allowed four retentions with no RTM provision” reported cricbuzz.
Kavya Maran's big demand
Earlier Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO Kavya Maran requested BCCI to take action against those players who opt out of the season without valid reasons. The 2024 IPL runners-up are among several franchises going through this issue for multiple seasons. Sunrisers Hyderabad have time again invested someone in the auctions and later the player chose to back out without any concrete reason.
"After being selected in the auction, if a player doesn't come to play the season for any reason apart from injury, he should be banned. The franchises put in a lot of effort into the auction to form their combinations. If a player goes for a low amount in the auction, and subsequently doesn't turn up, it affects the combination and the balance of the side. There have been many instances of overseas players not turning up for this reason," Kavya Maran was quoted by Cricbuzz.
"The franchise should have the discretion of how they split the amount among the retained players. This will prevent situations of conflict where players feel that they are of the same calibre but one player gets a higher amount, while the other lower based on pre-assigned brackets. This will also eliminate the potential of off-contract payments," she added.
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