With the deadline for submitting the list of players for retention for IPL 2025 ending today, all eyes are on who the 10 franchises will retain, and who will be allowed to leave.
There have been speculations like Lucknow Super Giants would not be retaining their skipper KL Rahul, or that Shubman Gill will be retained by Gujarat Titans after a pay cut. Whether these are true, or whether there will be surprises in store, will be known only later in the day once the teams submit their official lists.
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The IPL mega auction is expected to take place in November this year.
Here's a look at the IPL retention rules, Right-To-Match card option, team budgets and more.
What is player retention in IPL?
Franchises can use direct retentions and Right-To-Match cards to retain up to six players from their last squad for the upcoming seasons either before October 31 or at the IPL mega auction.
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What is the Right-To-Match (RTM) card option?
It allows a franchise to buy back their players during the mega auction. If a franchise retains no players, then it will enter the mega auction with six RTM cards; if it retains six players, then it will have no RTM cards to use at the mega auction.
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As per the revised process, after a franchise bids on a player and the previous team uses RTM to match the bid, the highest bidder is given a last chance to increase the bid before the player is awarded to the original franchise using the RTM. If the original team fails to match the increased bid, the player will be sold to the highest bidder.
How many players can each IPL team retain?
Each team can retain six players, of which a maximum of five can be Indian or overseas capped players, and a maximum of two can be uncapped Indian players. Any cricketer who has not yet made their debut for their national team across formats, is an ‘uncapped' player.
Why is ex-India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni an 'uncapped' player?
Any former Indian cricketer who has not played for the country across formats for over five years and does not hold a central contract with the BCCI, will be considered an 'uncapped' player.
This rule, which was scrapped after the 2021 season, has been revived for the upcoming season.
What’s the total budget or auction purse for each IPL team?
The auction purse has been increased to Rs 120 crore from the Rs 100 crore that the franchises had at their disposal at last year's IPL auction to assemble a squad of up to 25 players. The total salary cap will now comprise the auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees.
How much will it cost an IPL team to retain a player?
The costs for retaining capped players or the salary caps are as follows:
First retention: Rs 18 crore
Second retention: Rs 14 crore
Third retention: Rs 11 crore
Fourth retention: Rs 18 crore
Fifth retention: Rs 14 crore
The team will have to shell out Rs 4 crore for every uncapped Indian player retained.