The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to allow a maximum of four retentions ahead of the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2022. The teams can retain a maximum of three Indian and two overseas players with the total number of retentions not going beyond four.
As per reports, there is likely to be a cap on the number of uncapped players as well with teams unlikely to be allowed to retain more than two uncapped players. The retention rules were agreed upon in a meeting between the BCCI and the representatives of the IPL teams in the last few days post the conclusion of the IPL 2021 season in UAE.
There will be no Right to Match (RTM) cards available for the eight existing teams in the mega auction this time around. The purse for the auction is expected to be around 900 million rupees (Rs 90 crore). In the case of a franchise deciding to retain four players, they might have to part ways with up to 360-400 million rupees (Rs 36-40 crore) which will leave them with a significantly lower amount than teams who decide against retaining any player.
BCCI is likely to conduct the mega auction by the end of this year and will announce the official retention rules by October 25 after the two new teams are on board for the new season. A number of business conglomerates and celebrities have showcased their interest in buying the new IPL teams.