Some franchises have already written formally to the BCCI.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), only recently, announced the new retention guidelines for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction. While the total number of retentions was increased to six players per team, there were further changes to the Right to Match (RTM) process as well.
A Cricbuzz report mentions that franchises are now worried about the extra advantage given to the highest bidder in the RTM process. It further mentions that some franchises have already written formally to the BCCI, while others have engaged in discussions with its officials.
The new rule grants the provision for the highest bidder to have one final chance to increase their bid before the team holding the RTM card can use their right. The amount of the increased bid can be of any value, which the team with the RTM then need to match.
“The highest bidder will be given one final opportunity to raise their bid for a player before the team holding the RTM card can exercise their right,” says the new rule circulated by the BCCI.
Franchises claim that the purpose of the RTM is to assess a player’s market value, but the new rule forces them to match potentially random bids.
This rule could work against the BCCI’s primary objective of attracting top players to the IPL 2025 auction. By setting retention fees of INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore for players ranked No. 4 and No. 5, the BCCI may be discouraging franchises from opting for retention.
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Critics argue that this rule could hinder the BCCI’s efforts to draw star players to the auction. The updated RTM system might lead franchises to avoid using the RTM option and focus more on retentions instead.
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