IPL Governing Council to Discuss Allowing Teams Five Retentions and One RTM Card: Report

As per a report from EspnCricinfo, the IPL is expected to finalize the rules for player retention. However, details regarding the maximum number of Indian or overseas players that can be retained by each franchise, as well as the specific retention criteria, remain unclear. The total purse for each team is estimated to be in the range of INR 115-120 crore, although exact figures have not been confirmed.

If the IPL Governing Council, set to meet on Saturday evening at the new NCA centre in Bengaluru, according to a report in Cricbuzz, approves of the retention rule, it will be the highest number of retentions each team would be permitted in the history of the tournament. It would also mark the return of the RTM option, which was discarded for the mega auction for the 2022 IPL season. The rule predominantly allowed teams to buy back a player during the auction process by agreeing to the highest bid placed for that player by another franchise at the end of the bidding process.

The RTM, however, was an option for the mega auction for the 2018 season when five retentions were allowed for each of the franchises with either three direct retentions or three RTMs.

This will be the second time that the IPL Governing Council will meet to discuss the auction rules. It earlier met in July this year, when top teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings sparked a fresh discussion on the retention of some high-value players ahead of the auction, such as MS Dhoni.

According to the PTI, The meeting on Saturday could also see the IPL finalise the venue and date for the mega auction, which is likely to be held in the second week of November.

However, the report could not confirm whether the decisions regarding the retention and auction will be made public after the day's meeting or after tabling it in Sunday's AGM for detailed discussion.