The meeting of the owners of the IPL franchises along with the BCCI saw multiple heated exchanges between individuals over the mega auction and the retention of players. As per Cricbuzz, KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan and SRH’s Kavya Maran were strong proponents of doing away with the mega-auction, expressing their keeness to retain majority of the side they already have. The BCCI has told the franchise owners that the decision on the retention of players and other matters will be communicated to the teams in the coming weeks.
KKR, SRH want mega-auction gone
While Shah Rukh Khan reportedly had an heated exchange with PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia over the number of players to be retained, a report claims that Kavya Maran echoed similar sentiments.
As per Cricbuzz, the SRH owner pointed out that it took time, dedication and resources to build the team and is of the opinion that there should be a mini-auction each year instead of a mega auction. She went on to cite the unearthing of the talent in Abhishek Sharma to make her case.
“It takes a lot of time to build a squad and as discussed it also takes quite a bit of time and investment for the younger players to mature. It has taken Abhishek Sharma three years to become consistent with his performances,” Kavya Maran told Cricbuzz.
DC against too many player retentions
The Delhi Capitals foung themselves on the other side of the table, with CEO Parth Jindal insisting that there shouldn’t be too many retentions allowed. He reckoned that having mega auctions would ensure an even-playing field for all teams, adding that it was just a few owners who did not want the auction.
“I was surprised that there was debate on whether to hold the big auction,” he said. “Some people said that there should not be a mega auction at all. There should be only smaller auctions. I’m not in that camp. I feel that it evens the playing field and it’s very good for everyone,” Parth Jindal said.
CSK, MI keep low profile
Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians seemingly maintained a low-profile at the meeting in the BCCI headquarters. While the Ambanis attended the meeting virtually, CSK was represented by Rupa Gurunath. No reports have emerged yet as to what these two teams preferred when it came to retentions and the auction.
What’s next?
“The franchise owners tabled feedback on player regulations and other commercial aspects, including central merchandising, licensing, and gaming,” the BCCI said in a media release.
“The BCCI will now take these recommendations to the IPL Governing Council for further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations.”
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