The IPL 2025 Mega Auction will be headlining Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. The most salient feature of this keenly awaited event has to do with the return of the Right to Match (RTM) card in the auction for IPL 2025. This strategic weapon, which was unavailable during the IPL 2022 mega auction, is back, offering teams an exciting way to retain some of their former players.
The IPL Governing Council let teams retain a maximum of six players ahead of the auction. They had the option to either secure players in advance or use their RTM card in the IPL 2025 auction to get them back during the bidding process. This move has gained enough interest, as it allows franchises to rebuild their squads while maintaining a strong core.
But not all teams will have this strategic advantage in front of them. Defending champions KKR and RR retained their full quota of six players ahead of the auction, making them ineligible to use RTM cards this time around. But the other eight will go into the auction with one or more RTM cards, which could make the fight for the key players pretty interesting.
Among all teams, Punjab Kings (PBKS) stand out with the maximum RTM cards available—four in total. The franchise, which has struggled for consistency over the last three seasons, retained only two players, signaling a complete overhaul. This positions PBKS uniquely to bring back former players and recalibrate their squad using the RTM card in IPL 2025 auction.
RTM card in IPL 2025 auction: Explained
But a big update in the rules lets in more drama: If a team uses an RTM card, then the original bidder can raise their bid once. The team with the used RTM card has then got to decide if they should match that new bid or save the card for use later.
For example, in case Sunrisers Hyderabad bid ₹10 crore for a player, if Punjab Kings use their RTM card, Hyderabad can increase the bidding to ₹11 crore. Punjab Kings would then have to bid for ₹11 crores to buy the player or retain the RTM card for another target.
This plot twist makes sure that the IPL 2025 auction RTM card does not lack high-stakes decision-making.
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