 "IPL franchises want mega auctions every five years instead of three, suggest eight RTMs: Report")
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have reportedly put forth a series of suggestions to the BCCI ahead of the IPL 2025 season. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, IPL franchises have requested for the conducting of IPL mega auctions every five years, instead of every three years which is currently the case. Other suggestions given by IPL franchises include four to six player retentions, and handing every franchise with eight Right to Match (RTM) cards.
The last IPL mega auction was held in 2022 and the next one is scheduled for 2025. As per a senior franchise official, the advantage of having a mega auction every five years instead of three will help teams develop younger players, specifically uncapped Indian players. Having said that, franchises who have been regularly part of the IPL since its inception in 2008 have built academies in order to nurture talented youngsters and develop into big international stars.
That is where the advantage is, whereas in a three-year mega auction cycle, a franchise risks losing a player they have developed to another franchise.
In the last decade, mega auctions have been held every four years on two occasions. One mega auction was held in 2014, and the next in 2018, the year when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals returned after their two-year bans.
Once again in 2021, the mega auction was postponed by a year to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed franchises to extend their player contracts by a further year.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAnother aspect is number of RTM cards per franchise. According to ESPNCricinfo, a CEO of one of the franchises could be permitted to retain one player, in all likelihood the captain, whereas other player retentions could be done with the use of RTMs. One of the franchises have also suggested that teams get no player retentions but as many as eight RTM cards, but the reception for this has been mixed from other franchises.
It is to note that at the 2022 IPL mega auction, the year when Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants made their debuts, the other eight franchises were allowed to retain four players using two separate combinations. It’s also to note that RTM option was unavailable to allow GT and LSG to pick players from a larger pool.
A franchise official has also suggested that franchises be allowed to directly renegotiate salaries with players in between mega auctions. Should such a thing be implemented, it would not just allow teams to retain their most important players and retain their core group, but also enter into better terms with those players who were bought for lower prices or even base prices in previous auctions.
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