IPL 2025 mega auction rules brought many surprises, as teams can now retain up to six players. The uncapped player rule has been reintroduced, and most importantly, the RTM (Right to Match) card, which has received mixed feedback in the past, is making a comeback in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The RTM card allows franchises to reclaim a player they initially released, and we can expect to see it used by many teams in this upcoming auction.
Now, speaking of the famous RTM card and one of the famous IPL team Mumbai Indians, do you know how they used the RTM card last time? In the IPL 2022 season, this card wasn’t used, primarily because two new teams, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, joined the IPL lineup. However, in the IPL 2018 mega auction, franchises did use the RTM card. So, how did Mumbai Indians use it last time? See which players they brought back from the auction table.
Players retained by MI in last IPL auction via RTM
| Pre-auction Retentions | RTMs |
| RG Sharma (15 cr) | KA Pollard (5.4 cr) |
| HH Pandya (11 cr) | KH Pandya (8.8 cr) |
| JJ Bumrah (7 cr) | ———- |
In the IPL 2018 mega auction, a maximum of three Right to Match (RTM) players were allowed, and a total of five players could be retained by each franchise through Player Retention (pre-player auction) and RTM (during the player auction). This time, the rules have changed: franchises can retain up to six players or also have the option to use six RTMs, provided they do not retain any players during the pre-auction retention.
What is RTM in IPL 2025 mega auction?
The use of the Right to Match (RTM) has changed slightly from the past to how it will work in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Previously, the process was straightforward, franchise could reacquire a player by matching the highest bid from another franchise. However, in the IPL 2025 mega auction, the rule states that the team placing the highest bid will be given an additional opportunity to raise their bid before the franchise holding the RTM card claims the player.
Since the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), have been in discussions for various reasons in last IPL and mostly unfavorable, as the team finished last and faced difficulties, it will be interesting to see how they utilize the RTM card this time and for which big names.
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