On Saturday (September 28), the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council (GC) announced huge changes regarding the player retention rules before the commencement of the tournament’s next cycle 2025-27.

Based on the latest regulations, franchises are allowed to retain six players from their existing squads through direct retentions, Right to Match (RTM) cards, or a combination of both.

Compared to the previous season, the IPL 2025 mega auction purse has been increased to a lucrative value of INR 120 crores per team. As a result, the governing council has upgraded the base price of capped and uncapped players. 

Before we find out the new twist related to the RTM option, you need to understand the retention slabs and how they work. Let’s delve deeper into the flexibility that all 10 franchises have in retaining six cricketers for the next edition by knowing the cap on foreign players’ earnings as well.

IPL 2025 Retention Slabs and Working Methods

Most importantly, all teams are allowed to retain a maximum of five capped (including Indian and Overseas cricketers) and two uncapped players.

An uncapped player is an Indian cricketer who hasn’t played for the national team, retired from all three formats of international cricket (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is), or hasn’t held a contract with BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) in the past five years comes under this category.

As a result, franchises can retain each uncapped player for INR 4 crores and the same amount will be deducted from the total purse value of INR 120 crores awarded to each team. Whereas, five capped players through direct retentions will be re-assigned into the squad based on the following values:

Based on the above retention slab, let’s consider three possible scenarios on how a team can retain six players using the appropriate combination :

Scenario 1: Six Players Retained (5 Capped + 1 Uncapped Player)

A total of INR 79 crores will be subtracted from the purse value of INR 120 crores by retaining 5 capped players (INR 75 crores) + 1 uncapped player (INR 4 crores) through direct retention ahead of the auction. Consequently, a team would be left with INR 41 crores to spend during the auction to acquire new players with no option of using the RTMs.

Scenario 2: Six Players Retained (4 Capped + 2 Uncapped Players)

In this case, a team would spend INR 69 crores after retaining 4 capped (61 crores) + 2 uncapped (8 crores), with 51 crores left during the mega auction.

Scenario 3: Five Players Retained (4 Capped +1 Uncapped Player)

An overall of INR 65 crores will be debited from the purse after retaining 4 capped (61 crores) + 1 uncapped player (4 crores) with INR 55 crores being ready to be invested on the auction table. In addition, a team would have the option to use one RTM card to acquire back another player of the same squad during the auction, having reserved an overall of five players through direct retentions.

NOTE: For the above-explained scenarios, the auction purses deductions that are referred to indicate the minimum values for retention and the teams being able to manage their budgets during the auction. There are possibilities that the teams might retain a player for a higher value. If the franchise decides to retain a player for higher value (let’s assume INR 20 crores), the additional 2 crores will be reduced from their total budget.

Base Price for Capped and Uncapped Players in IPL 2025

For capped players, the minimum base price has surged from INR 50 lakhs to INR 75 lakhs. In the case of uncapped cricketers, the revised base price is INR 30 lakhs, which is higher than the previous year’s value of INR 20 lakhs. ;

The five different levels of base price ranges for capped players will be INR 75 lakhs, INR 1 crore, INR 1.25 crores, INR 1.50 crores, and INR 2 crores. Likewise, the uncapped cricketers’ base prices for the next season are classified as INR 30 lakhs, INR 40 lakhs, and INR 50 lakhs.

Using Right To Match (RTM) Cards: A New Twist Ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction 

Another method to re-acquire a player from the current squad is using the RTM card during the mega auction. For instance, if a franchise has retained only four players, they have an option to use two RTMs. Whereas, for three out of six direct retentions, there would be a possibility of opting for three RTMs.

Surprisingly, the BCCI has changed the rules on how the Right to Match (RTM) option can be implemented during the auction. Previously, if a team desired to retain a player, they could just match the highest bid at the auction to secure their services. However, this time, the highest bidder will get one last chance to increase their bid before the original team has the option to use the RTM to claim back the player. In simpler words, the highest bidder gets an extra opportunity to outbid the team holding the RTM before they can retain the player. 

Let’s consider a simple example. If Mohammed Siraj is put on auction and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has bid with the highest value of INR 7 crores, then Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), which is Siraj’s current franchise will be asked if they desire to use the RTM (if they have one after five direct retentions). If RCB is satisfied, then MI would be given an extra opportunity to increase the value and confirm their final bid. Suppose, if MI increases the value to INR 10 crores, then RCB can use their RTM card and acquire back Siraj for INR 10 crores.

Cap on Overseas Players’ Fees

Furthermore, the IPL Governing Council has put forward the latest regulations to put an end to the complaints regarding the foreign players who take advantage of the auction system. Typically, these players take advantage of the demand-supply imbalances at the mini-auction to grab high salaries paychecks.

However, the new rules explain that any overseas cricketer should make themselves available for the 2025 mega auction, and not abiding by the guidelines would result in their ban for the next mini auctions as well.

Also, there will be a limit on the earnings of the foreign players from the next IPL 2026 mini-auction. The maximum amount accumulated will be determined based on the comparison between these two lowest values —the highest retention amount of INR 18 crores or the most expensive auction price at the mega event. So, it is understood that overseas players can earn upto the specified lower amount.

Mainly, the decision became effective when the two Aussie cricketers Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crores) and Pat Cummins (INR 20.50 crores) bagged hefty sums of money in the previous year’s mini-auction, thereby becoming the costliest players ever in the IPL history.

A Simple Example of Overseas Players’ Earnings:

Once again let’s imagine a simple example. Suppose, Rohit Sharma is retained for INR 18 crores and Sanju Samson grabs the highest bid of INR 16 crores during the 2025 mega auction. Then, in the next 2026 mini-auction, a foreign cricketer should have a salary of INR 16 crores or lower, based on the lesser value of the two figures.

In the same scenario, if Sanju Samson is brought in the mega auction for INR 20 crores, then no overseas player can get more than INR 18 crores. It is understood that the IPL GC has introduced this scheme so that Indian players can earn maximum profits. In other words, a foreign player cannot be sold for a higher fee than the retained high-profile Indian cricketers.

Overall Opinion:

As the last date to submit the retention list is on 31st October 2024 until 5 pm IST, the excitement in the cricketing world increases to a peak level day by day. Interestingly, a cricketer who makes their international debut in any of the formats before October 31 will be tagged as a capped player. Overall, it is guaranteed that the IPL 2025 mega auction will be highly competitive with all ten franchises set for an intense bidding war to build a strong squad