The Indian Premier League (IPL) is approaching its 2025-27 cycle, and franchises are facing uncertainty in finalizing player retentions due to ambiguities in the IPL Player Regulations 2025-27 Key Points document released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The document outlines the Retention/Right to Match (RTM) process, but a footnote has raised questions. It states that the overall retention deduction will be Rs 75 crore, regardless of the amount paid to individual players. However, if the total amount exceeds Rs 75 crore, the actual amount will be deducted.
This has led to confusion among franchises. They are unsure whether they can retain players at different prices than those specified in the document (Player 1: Rs 18 crore, Player 2: Rs 14 crore, Player 3: Rs 11 crore, Player 4: Rs 18 crore, Player 5: Rs 14 crore).
“What are they trying to say here? It has left us confused too. Does this mean that any price tag can be followed while retaining players? And if the total price of retentions exceeds Rs 75 crore then that would be deducted from the Salary Cap. If it’s a free hand for the franchises to use their own prices for different retentions then what are the 18, 14 and 11 markers for?,” questioned a senior official at a franchise.
The footnote also states that if the total retention amount is less than Rs 75 crore, Rs 75 crore will still be deducted. This has further perplexed franchises.
“So they are trying to imply that one can retain Player 2 and 3 for a cheaper price than 14 and 11? A lot of clarity is needed because it is the most important piece of the puzzle and we have already asked for more clarification and explanation from the board,” added the official.
With the retention deadline approaching on October 31, franchises are eagerly awaiting a comprehensive Player Guidelines document that will provide detailed explanations of the regulations. They hope that the BCCI will release this document in the coming days to enable them to make informed decisions about player retentions.
