IPL trophy
Credit: X/@mufaddal_vohra
The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council made several significant decisions on Saturday for the 2025 season.
Among the key changes are that franchises can retain up to six players each, the right-to-match (RTM) option returns for the mega auction, and the Impact Player rule will remain in place until the 2027 season. Additionally, the auction purse has been increased by Rs 20 crore, bringing it to Rs 120 crore.
Here's everything you need to know about the decisions made by the governing council:
What is the retention slabs for IPL 2025
The IPL franchises can now retain six players from their existing squad, either via retention or by using the Right To Match (RTM) option.
It is the discretion of the franchise to choose its combination for retentions and RTMs. The six retention/RTMs can have a maximum of 5 capped players (Indian & overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped players.
If a franchise wants to retain five capped players then the following amount will be deducted from their purse:
The first retention will cost Rs 18 crore followed by second retention of Rs 14 crore and third retention of Rs 11 crore.
If a franchise opts for fourth and fifth retention, they will again have to pay Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore respectively.
So if a franchise retains five capped players and one uncapped before the auction, it will lose Rs 79 crore from the overall purse of Rs 120 crore.
A team was allowed up to four retentions in the last mega auction held in 2022.
Impact Player rule to continue
The IPL governing council has decided to retain the Impact Player rule for the next three seasons, up to 2027, despite the objection from Rohit Sharma, who had stated in the past that the Impact Player rule could be detrimental to the development of all-rounders.
The Impact Player rule allows a team to replace a player from the starting 11 and bring in a specialist batter or bowler as per the match situation.
The Impact Sub was introduced during the IPL 2023 and since then the rule has vertically divided the opinion.
Even in the meeting the BCCI had with the team owners earlier this July, some franchises like Delhi Capitals were not entirely in favour of retaining the Impact Player rule, primarily because it reduced the importance of the all-rounders.
The nine highest totals in the IPL were made since the introduction of the Impact Player rule and the team often effortlessly crossed 220s and even 250s in the IPL 2024.
The rule could also mean that CSK's 'Forever Captain in Spirit' Mahendra Singh Dhoni can play one more season of IPL with Shivam Dube playing purely as a slogger.
RTM card
The IPL governing council has decided to reintroduce Right To Match (RTM) card after at least three franchises argued in its favour.
The RTM card 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.
However, the IPL has now modified the rule from this season. 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.
Rules specifically for overseas players
Select English and Australian players have time and again ditched their franchises after getting picked at the auction, often citing fatigue and other priorities.
The BCCI is now planning to impose a 2-year ban on any player who withdraws after being picked at the auction.
Specifically for overseas stars, if they don't register for an auction during a year, they can't participate for another two years.
Injury replacements
From the next season onwards, teams can seek replacement for an injured player up to the 12th match in the league phase. Earlier, franchises had to seek a replacement for an injured player before their seventh match of the season.
M S Dhoni likely to become 'Uncapped Player'
The IPL has also decided that all those Indian players who haven't played any international game for at least five calendar years will be deemed 'uncapped players'.
This move is being seen to ensure that Chennai Super Kings can retain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who last played for the country in the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal.
The retention cost for an uncapped player will be Rs 4 crore. Hence, CSK even if they retain Dhoni, can surely save a lot for the auction.
Players to earn Rs 7.5 lakh per game
The BCCI on Saturday announced that the players in the IPL will get Rs 7.5 lakh match fee per game and a cricketer who plays all the league matches in the entire season can pocket up to Rs 1.05 crore. This fee is in addition to the players’ contracted amount with their respective franchise.
So, an uncapped Indian player, who can play three games of IPL, stands to earn Rs 22.5 lakh apart from a minimum base price of Rs 20 lakh.
Hence, he can earn Rs 42.5 lakh in a season by playing just three games of three hours, whereas if he plays 10 Ranji Trophy games in a season, he stands to earn Rs 24 lakh only.
(With inputs from PTI)