BCCI has convened a meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners in Ahmedabad on April 16. Simultaneously, the Gujarat Titans will clash with the Delhi Capitals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. Invitations have been extended to all ten IPL franchise owners, with expectations that they may be accompanied by their CEOs and operational teams. However, the meeting, slated to address significant issues, is reportedly exclusive to owners. The likely reintroduction of the Right to Match card is also under consideration, following its absence in the 2022 mega-auction.
BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah, and IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal are expected to attend. The meeting’s agenda remains undisclosed by CEO Hemang Amin, though it’s speculated to address policy decisions, particularly regarding the upcoming mega-auction.
Notably, the number of player retentions pre-auction will be a key discussion point, with differing views among IPL stakeholders. While some advocate for increased retention to foster team continuity and brand strength, others prefer a more limited approach.
What is this Right to Match card?
The Right to Match (RTM) card enables a franchise to acquire an unretained player who represented them in the previous edition, by matching the highest bid the player receives in that auction. This option is exclusive to IPL mega auctions, as teams can retain only a limited number of players with constraints.
During the IPL 2018 mega auction, teams could retain up to five players from the prior season. However, retaining fewer players granted them RTM cards, with a maximum of three available if only two players were retained.
Instances of RTM?
In the IPL 2018 auction, Shikhar Dhawan had a base price of 2 crores and was initially bid for by PBKS. Eventually, he was sold to PBKS for 5.2 crores after a bidding war involving RR and MI. However, Dhawan exercised his RTM card to return to the Hyderabad franchise, where he had played in the 2017 IPL.
Numerous players such as Kieron Pollard, Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Dwayne Bravo, David Miller, and Marcus Stoinis were acquired by their respective franchises using the RTM card during the IPL 2018 auctions after being sold to other teams.
