IPL 2024 Mega Auction May See More Player Retentions, Salary Cap as BCCI Plans Big Changes from 2025

IPL Mega Auction: The Indian Premier League mega auction is ready to take place ahead of the upcoming season which has become the major talking point amid the action already underway in the ongoing season.

With the IPL set to have another mega auction later in 2024, it has emerged that the number of player retentions has become a point to discuss. The BCCI has informally sought suggestions from the IPL franchises and there is a push to increase the number of retained players.

As per the information, the Indian Cricket Board has invited all 10 franchises for a meeting in Ahmedabad next week.

“Things are at a very nascent stage. The board is seeking recommendations to carry the league forward. Player retention is a major factor in that. Going by the informal discussions, the majority of the franchises are in favour of having a provision where they can retain about 8 players before the auction,” the report quoted a BCCI source as saying.

Notably, only 4 players were allowed to be retained in the last IPL mega auction which took place ahead of the 2022 season.

There was also the use of an RTM card allowed as per which one player could be bought back, offering the franchises to retain a total of 5 players. A maximum of 2 overseas players could be retained.

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The report also added that there is a concern among the franchises about maintaining the balance of their teams.

Sources said that most franchises wish that there is a need for continuity in the composition of teams. Teams also expressed their wish to raise the cumulative salary cap to Rs 100 crore from the existing Rs 90 crore since the BCCI has bagged heftier media rights deals.

“Some feel that it doesn’t make sense if the core of the team is broken so frequently. Franchises have identified that there should be a scope to retain the larger part of the core team. There are a couple of objections to this suggestion, Nothing specific has been discussed about the RTM or cap on overseas retentions,” the source said.

A few franchises have struggled after the IPL 2022 mega auction, namely Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. DC have suffered the most. They had built a strong core in the years leading to the last mega auction. They had made the final in 2020 while qualifying for the playoffs on either side of the 2020 season.

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“There will be some resistance because a few franchises will want a bigger pool of players in the auction to rebuild their teams. One must remember that there are 10 teams now and if the number of retentions is raised, then the cream pool will become very small. The franchise owners meeting on April 16 is likely to revolve around these talking points,” the source added.