IPL Reports | Five player retentions to be allowed, no Right to Match available

The rules for player retentions were originally slated to be announced soon after the IPL 2024 final on 26 May in Chenna but the formal decision has since been repeatedly delayed by the Indian governing body. Notably, the BCCI had held discussions with all 10 franchise owners in July where they were faced with several varying opinions, ranging from no retentions at all to as many as eight retentions per franchise.

However, the latest reports suggest the retentions are to be capped at five ahead of the mega auction, with the composition likely to be three domestic players and two foreign talents. Crucially, the franchises won't have the Right to Match option at their disposal, which allowed a team to buy back a released player from the pool as long as they matched the winning bid for him. 

The last mega auction was held ahead of the 2022 season which saw the introduction of two franchises in Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Giants. Each of the incumbent eight teams was allowed only four retentions with no RTMs then as well in order to allow the new sides a fairer chance of assembling a strong squad. As for 2023, the mini-auction was held for the first time outside Indian borders, in Dubai, and the same can hold true for the upcoming auction as well, most likely to be held later this year.

The official declaration of retention rules is set to have a major impact on several key players that have been a part of the IPL, including Chennai SUper King's MS Dhoni who has stated his decision to continue playing rests upon how many players teams are allowed to retain, and whether long-retired players would qualify as uncapped.