Franchises can retain up to six players each, the right-to-match option is back at the auction, and the Impact Player rule will remain in place for IPL 2025. That aside, the auction purse is bigger at INR 120 crore (US$ 14.33 million approx.), INR 20 crore more than last year. These are among the most significant points finalised by the IPL on Saturday for the retention rules, which will be applied ahead of the 2025 mega auction.
The retention rules were announced on Saturday evening, and it is understood that of the six players the franchises can retain at least one needs to be an uncapped Indian player. The remaining five can all be Indians or overseas. Also, the six players a franchise is allowed to retain can be via the direct retention route, a combination of retention and RTM options, or just RTM options.
"The total salary cap will now consist of auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees," a BCCI statement said. "Previously in 2024, the total salary cap [auction purse + incremental performance pay] was Rs. 110 Crs which will now be Rs. 146 Crs (2025), Rs. 151 Crs (2026) and Rs. 157 Crs (2027)."
Retention slabs
In case a franchise wants to retain five players, the following amounts will be deducted from the purse:
For the first three retentions - INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 11 crore
For the remaining two - INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore
This means a franchise retaining five players before the auction will lose INR 75 crore of the overall purse of INR 120 crore
As for the uncapped player, the IPL has stuck with INR 4 crore, as was the case in the 2021 mega auction. That means a franchise retaining six players will lose INR 79 crore from its purse, and go into the auction with just INR 41 crore.Decks cleared for 'uncapped' Dhoni to be retained
If five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) want, they can retain their former captain and talisman MS Dhoni as an uncapped player.
This is because the IPL has decided to bring back a rule that it had instituted in 2008, allowing Indian players who had retired from international at least five years prior to go into the auction as an uncapped player. The rule, never used, was scrapped in 2021. However, during the broader discussion on uncapped players, the IPL informed the franchises that it was reviving the rule.
Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, Dhoni was retained as the second player by CSK for INR 12 crore. Dhoni, who turned 43 in July, has only played in the IPL since retiring in 2020. In case CSK now decide to retain him as an uncapped player, Dhoni would be paid INR 4 crore.
Impact Player not going away
The IPL has also decided to retain the Impact Player rule. Since it was introduced in the 2023 season, the rule has stirred wide debate over whether it is indeed beneficial to Indian cricket, which was the original motive, or whether it could be hurting the development of allrounders.
That was one of the points the IPL discussed with the franchises during a meeting on July 31, which was attended by several team owners and team principals. While there was no unanimous nod to the rule, the majority were in favour of it being retained.
Nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded since the Impact Player rule, which allows a team to sub out a first-XI player and field a specialist batter or bowler depending on the match situation. The IPL believes the rule has managed to enhance the product by creating such spectacles and it is good from the spectators' point of view, too.
More to follow…