October 7, 2024

IPL Retention 2025: Salary Structure, RTM Card, And Foreign Player Ban – All New Rules You Need To Know

For IPL 2025, franchises can retain up to six players from their previous squads. This includes using the Right to Match (RTM) card, which will cost ₹75 crore out of a total team budget of ₹120 crore. The IPL governing council made this decision on Saturday.

In a notable change, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Indian players who have not participated in any international matches for five consecutive years will be classified as “uncapped players.” This adjustment is expected to help the Chennai Super Kings retain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who last represented India in the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal.

For uncapped players, the retention cost will be ₹4 crore, allowing the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to save significantly for the auction, even if they retain Dhoni. In the last mega auction in 2022, teams were allowed to retain up to four players.

On that day, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah announced a fixed match fee of ₹7.5 lakh for all players participating in league games, plus an additional income of ₹1.05 crore on top of their salaries. Franchises must also maintain a fixed salary purse of ₹12.6 crore, in addition to the auction and retention budget of ₹120 crore, for the upcoming season.

“The total salary cap will now consist of auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees. 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),” the BCCI release stated.

IPL franchises can now retain up to six players from their current squad through either retention or the Right to Match (RTM) option. Each franchise can decide how to combine these retentions and RTMs. Of the six players retained, a maximum of five can be capped players (both Indian and overseas), and up to two can be uncapped players.

Although the BCCI’s media release did not specify the retention values, PTI confirmed this information through a source within the IPL Governing Council.

“The first retention will cost Rs 18 crore followed by second retention of Rs 14 crore and third retention of Rs 11 crore. However, if a franchise opts for fourth and fifth retention, they will again have to pay Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore respectively.”

“So, any franchise opts for all five retention of capped players, then will have only Rs 45 crore to buy or even use their RTM card to buy another 15 players and prepare a squad. There is no cap on Indian and overseas retention,” a senior BCCI and IPL governing council member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

It is understood that stronger franchises, such as the Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, favored retaining six to eight players. In contrast, some franchises with less star power preferred fewer retentions.

“We introduced more deductions for retention four and five to ensure a level playing field. You can go ahead and retain five but then you will have less than Rs 50 crore to deal with at the auction table.

“Also if franchises opt for only three retentions, then more star value will be added to auction and some of the teams with lesser strength can set their house in order. The idea is to have a good competition,” the source said.

Read More: Aakash Chopra Feels Shah Rukh Khan Will Retain Shreyas Iyer

This is the route possibly BCCI wants to take.

If the Mumbai Indians choose to retain Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Thilak Varma, ₹75 crore will be deducted from their budget. This leaves them with ₹45 crore for the auction. If Ishan Kishan’s price skyrockets to ₹15 crore, and they decide to use a Right to Match (RTM) card, they will effectively have ₹30 crore left to select 14 more players.

It’s important to note that the retention price is a deduction from the team’s auction purse but does not necessarily reflect the player’s actual salary, which is determined by a separate contract with the franchise.

Meanwhile, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah announced on Twitter that the per-match fee for players means an uncapped Indian player, who plays three IPL matches, could earn ₹22.5 lakh, in addition to a minimum base salary of ₹20 lakh. This totals ₹42.5 lakh for just three games, whereas playing ten Ranji Trophy matches in a season would only yield ₹24 lakh.

“In a historic move to celebrate consistency and champion outstanding performances in the IPL, we are thrilled to introduce a match fee of INR 7.5 lakhs per game for our cricketers! “A cricketer playing all league matches in a season will get Rs. 1.05 crores in addition to his contracted amount,” Shah tweeted.

Check out: AB de Villiers’ on Faf Du Plessis’ Retention By RCB For IPL 2025

Rules specifically for overseas players

Some English and Australian players have repeatedly abandoned their franchises after being selected at the auction, often citing fatigue and other commitments. In response, the BCCI is considering imposing a two-year ban on any player who withdraws after being picked. Specifically for overseas players, if they do not register for an auction in a given year, they will be ineligible to participate for the next two years.

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