IPL Mega Auction: Six retentions, RTM back, Impact Player….
What is New in IPL Mega Auction 2025
According to recent reports, IPL franchises will be permitted to retain up to five players and utilize one RTM (Right to Match) card during the highly anticipated Mega Auction, which is slated to take place in November or December this year. These updates were finalized during the IPL Governing Council Meeting held in Bengaluru on Saturday, September 28.
Franchises can retain up to six players each, the right-to-match (RTM) option is back at the auction, and the Impact Player rule will remain in place for IPL 2025 Season. That aside, the auction purse is bigger at INR 120 crore (US$ 14.33 million approx.), INR 20 crore more than in the last auction. These are among the most significant decisions taken by the IPL governing council, announced on Saturday, in connection with the retention of players, which will be applied for the 2025 mega auction. According to the retention rules released by the BCCI on Saturday evening, each franchise can retain a maximum of six players through normal retention or by using the RTM option.
Impact Player Rule
The Impact Player rule is confirmed to remain in place until 2027. Despite being scrutinised by various stakeholders, the rule was revisited during the IPL Governing Council meeting. However, no official reasons were provided for the decision to extend its implementation. This rule, introduced to add flexibility and strategy to team compositions, will continue to be a part of the IPL format for the next few seasons.
RTM CARD:
The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. It was previously used in the 2017 mega auction but discarded ahead of the 2022 mega auction.
To advance the cause of the players, the IPL has now modified the rule. It now reads: “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. For example, if Team 1 holds the RTM for Player X and Team 2 has placed the highest bid of Rs. 6 Cr, then Team 1 will be first asked if they will exercise RTM, if Team 1 agrees, then Team 2 will have the chance to increase their bid. If Team 2 raises their bid to Rs. 9 Cr, then Team 1 can use the RTM and acquire Player X for Rs. 9 Cr. If Team 2 chooses not to raise the bid and keeps it at Rs. 6 Cr, Team 1 can use the RTM and get Player X for Rs.
Auction Purse and Match fee for players
The auction purse for each franchise has been increased by 20% and is expected to rise further in the coming years. For the IPL 2025 auction, the purse is set at INR 120 crore. “The total salary cap will now comprise the auction purse, incremental performance pay, and match fees. Previously in 2024, the total salary cap (auction purse + incremental performance pay) was Rs. 110 crore, which will now be Rs. 146 crore for 2025, Rs. 151 crore for 2026, and Rs. 157 crore for 2027,” stated a BCCI release.
IPL 2025 Mega-Auction: Retained Players List (Estimated)
| Team | Retained Players |
|---|---|
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Shreyas Iyer, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Liam Livingstone |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Yuzvendra Chahal |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhishek Sharma, T Natarajan, Travis Head, Aiden Markram |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Devon Conway |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, David Miller |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kisha |
Uncapped player rule and MS Dhoni
A notable rule update has been introduced regarding the classification of uncapped players. “An Indian player who is currently capped will be considered uncapped if, in the five calendar years preceding the relevant IPL season, they have not played in the starting XI for India in any International format (Test, ODI, or T20I) or do not hold a central contract with the BCCI,” the IPL confirmed in its release.
This rule applies exclusively to Indian players.This change opens the door for players like MS Dhoni, who last represented India in 2019, to be categorized as an uncapped player when their franchise decides on retention or selection during the auction. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, CSK had retained Dhoni as their second player for INR 12 crore. If they are to retain him now as an uncapped player, Dhoni would be paid INR 4 crore.