The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 retention deadline is only hours away as the 10 franchises look to finalise the list of players they wish to keep ahead of the mega auction. A maximum of 6 players can be retained by each franchise, including one uncapped player. But, there remain certain rules that each franchise has to follow. The price bifurcation, announced by the IPL Governing Council, has made retention a tricky task for most franchises. Those who were willing to keep hold of majority of their players, don’t want to put a big dent in the purse. Those who were willing to let go of most of the players, are contemplating whether to make the most of certain loopholes that exist in the rulebook.
As all 10 franchises look set to announce the names of their retained players, we take a detailed look at the rules that are to be followed.
1. What is the IPL 2025 Retention deadline?
October 31, 5pm IST, is the deadline by which all 10 franchises have to submit their lists of retained players. While negotiations are in full swing, no extension is expected to be granted to any of the teams.
2. What are the IPL 2025 Retention price categories?
Each team has been given a purse of INR 120 crore to build the roster. For the first player retained, INR 18 crore will be deducted from the purse. The second retention will see a deduction of INR 14, INR 11 crore for the third. Interestingly, Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore will be deducted for the 4th and 5th deduction, taking the overall deduction for 5 players to INR 75 crores. If a team decides to retain an uncapped player, it will lose INR 4 crore from the purse. A maximum of 2 uncapped players can be retained. Franchises can pay more than these prices to each player, but not less.
3. Can the Rs 75 crore quota for 5 players be internally adjusted?
Yes, franchises have been allowed to internally adjust the salaries given if they retain 5 players. For example, if the first-choice player fetches INR 23 crore (Rs 5 crore more than the set price of Rs 18 crore), the 5th player can be given Rs 9 crore instead of Rs 14 crore) to keep the Rs 75 crore sum as it is. If a franchise spends more than Rs 75 crore to retain a player, it would be forced to deduct the additional money from the overall purse balance.
4. What happens if a franchise retains one, two, three, or four players?
For a single capped retention, INR 18 crore will be deducted from the franchise’s purse. For two capped players, they will lose Rs INR 32 crore (18+14) or a higher amount which will be deducted from the overall balance. For three capped players, at least INR 43 crore (18+14+11), and for four capped players, at least INR 61 crore (18+14+11+18).
5. How can Right To Match be used?
Franchises can adjust their Right To Match and retention list. A maximum of 6 players can be retained, be it through RTM or straight retention. If a franchise doesn’t retain a single player, it can still get 6 players back through RTM in the auction.
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