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As we arrive at the deadline day for IPL Retentions, here is a brief description and explanation of the entire process of retentions ahead of the IPL Mega Auction.
MS Dhoni has dropped big hint about his future in the IPL. (Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL)
The awaited day is finally here as all 10 IPL teams will be expected to turn in their lists of players for retention ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction set to take place later this year.
Here is a brief description and explanation of the entire process:
How does retention work?
As per the Right to Match (RTM) option, IPL teams will now be presented with the opportunity to retain 6 of their favoured players from their last squad for the upcoming seasons, either before the deadline of October 31 or even at the Mega Auction table itself.
What is RTM?
Right to Match is a system that allows a team to basically buy back their players during the mega auction. If a team does not name any retentions before the deadline, they will come into the auction with 6 RTMs. But, if a team does choose to retain in advance, then they will be present with (6 -no. of retained players) RTMs when the IPL Mega Auction will take place.
How many players can be retained by each IPL team?
Six players from each of the 10 IPL teams’ 2024 squad can be retained, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals – Indian or overseas – and two can be uncapped Indian players.
Who’s an uncapped player?
Any cricketer who has not yet made their debut for their national team, in any format, is considered an ‘uncapped player.’
On top of the same, any former Indian international player, who has not represented the nation for over 5 years in any format (T20, ODI, Test) and don’t hold a central contract with the BCCI will also be considered an uncapped player.
What’s the total budget/purse for each team?
The auction purse for the franchises has been set at INR 120 Crore for IPL 2025, a change from the previous year’s INR 110 Crore. The total salary cap will now consist of auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees.
What’s the cost to retain a player?
There are set costs of retaining capped players and they are as follows:
1st Capped Player Retention: ₹18 crore
2nd Capped Player Retention: ₹14 crore
3rd Capped Player Retention: ₹11 crore
4th Capped Player Retention: ₹18 crore
5th Capped Player Retention: ₹14 crore
For every uncapped Indian player retained, a team will lose INR 4 crore from the purse.
There is no cap on the number of overseas players a team can retain as well.
Revisions in the RTM Process
After a team bids on a player and the previous franchise uses an RTM to match the bid, the highest bidder is given one last chance to increase the bid before the player is awarded to the original team using RTM.
What if a team spends more or less than the aforementioned retention value to retain a player?
If a team pays more than his retention value, for e.g. Capped Player 3 is retained for INR 14 Crore (4 crores higher than the value of INR 11 Crore), then 14 Crore will be taken away.
In the case a team pays less than the retention value, for e.g Capped Player 2 is reatained for INR 12 Crore (2 crored lesser than the value of INR 14 Crore), INR 14 Crore will be deducted from the purse.
Can the purse money used be distributed equally among the retained players?
In the case that a franchise opts to retain 5 capped players, then the total sum of money, which is (18+14+11+18+14) INR 75 Crore, can surely be divided in varying proportions, equal or not, within the capped players retained, as long as the retained players agree to it.
What is the deadline day and time for the IPL 2025 retentions?
The 10 teams are supposed to fill in their IPL 2025 retentions by the 5 PM IST deadline on October 31, Thursday.
