Preparations for the IPL 2025 auction are now underway, with October 31, 2024, set as the deadline for confirmation of player retention. Franchises have until this date to finalize retentions before the mega auction, during which they can retain a combination of up to six players through a mix of retentions and Right-to-Match (RTM) options.
The franchises can retain five capped players, which includes either Indian or overseas players, and up to two uncapped Indian players. Of particular interest, if a player may get a first international game before the October 31 deadline, he’ll be a capped player. However, if an uncapped player is retained and that player made his debut before the retention date, the franchise will still be charged INR 4 crore from his purse as he’d be an uncapped player.
“It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for retentions and RTMs,” the IPL release said. “The six retentions/RTMs can have a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped players.”
IPL 2025 Auction: Purse for Each Franchise
A major fillip to teams was the increase in the auction purse by INR 20 crore, thereby elevating the purse for each franchise to INR 120 crore or about USD 14.3 million. It meant a greater elasticity of purse to fracture more dreams during the auction.
In addition, a reinstated rule has ended the five-year dormancy of Indian players and effectively allowed any player who retired from international cricket for five years or more to be regarded as uncapped, thereby cheaper for the franchises. The implications would be for players like MS Dhoni, who last played an international match in 2019. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) can retain Dhoni as an uncapped player for INR 4 crore, bringing down his cost radically from previous seasons.
Major decisions are looming as franchises now strategise to retain key players, looking ahead to the battle through the auction.
Also, see:
Shocking! Experienced MS Dhoni will be an uncapped player in the IPL 2025
