According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to allow IPL franchises to retain five players ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. However, the major development that is coming our way is the fact that BCCI is likely to deny IPL franchises the option of the Right To Match (RTM) card.
The IPL retention decisions were a long time coming as the BCCI had a brief discussion with all the ten franchises’ owners on July 31. However, major updates have come in regarding all the retention rules for the IPL teams for a mega auction that is going to happen later this year.
No Right To Match (RTM) Card?
RTM allows the teams to purchase an unretained player who played for them in the previous edition for the highest bidding amount the player has received in that auction. However, according to the IndianExpress, IPL teams won’t be getting any option to exercise the RTM option, that was last used in the IPL 2018 mega auction. BCCI skipped the RTM card in the IPL 2022 mega auction as well.
A majority of the owners expressed their desire to retain more players, as they believe it will help them maintain continuity and build strong teams. However, there were also a couple of teams that wanted less number of retention options. The BCCI may have decided and believes that retaining up to five players will help to protect the brand value of the IPL franchises. By retaining their key players, franchises can ensure that they have a strong core around which they can build their teams.
More settled franchises like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Mumbai Indians (MI) would’ve any day wanted more than 4 retention options. Now with five possible retentions, they would love to keep the core of their team.
