The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly looking to allow IPL teams to retain one extra player for the IPL 2025. Teams can retain a maximum of five players, one more than the previous edition, which might help teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings retain their core set of players for the 2025 edition.
According to a report from the IndianExpress, teams can retain a maximum of five cricketers for the upcoming edition but there is no clarity on the number of Indian players they can hold on to. For the previous mega auction in 2024, the team retained a maximum of two Indians and two overseas or three Indians and one overseas player.
Meanwhile, Despite some strong protests against the need for a mega auction, the organisers are likely to hold one at November end or early December and teams will look to build up their squads from scratch. There will be no right-to-match (RTM) option available for the IPL 2025 auction after some reported the old rule returning to the event after six years.
IPL last held the mega auction in 2022 when Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants entered the cash-rich league, allowing all teams to have an equal opportunity in the auction. However, teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders will be facing a dilemma when selecting their five-man retained list.
The BCCI held a meeting with the owners of all ten franchises on July 31 to consider their position on the players’ retention rules and impact substitute rules. Some franchises reportedly expressed their desire to retain up to eight players while few wanted only one player to retain ahead of the auction. However, the IndianExpress reports that the teams are willing to retain five to six players to find some continuity going into the next season.
However, there is no official update on the auction date or venue but the BCCI is expected to announce the retention rules this week to give the franchise a chance to be well-prepared for their auction strategy.