Several changes have been made to the playing regulations ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. Among these are updates to the definition of uncapped players, retention slabs, policies for foreign players, penalties for last-minute withdrawals, and increased compensation for Impact Players.
However, the most notable change is the reintroduction of the Right to Match (RTM) option, allowing franchises to retain up to six players through retention or RTM.
Teams can retain up to five capped players (Indian or overseas) and two uncapped players. RTM allows franchises to match the highest bid for a player they previously released during the auction. For instance, if Lucknow Super Giants bid INR 15 crore for Ishan Kishan, Mumbai Indians (his previous team) can match that bid and retain him.
This time, the RTM process has a twist. After the highest bid is placed, the bidding team gets a final chance to increase their offer before the original team uses their RTM to match.
For example, if RCB bids INR 11 crore for Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals can use their RTM to retain him. However, RCB will get one last opportunity to increase their bid, say to INR 13 crore, which DC would then need to match.
The number of RTMs available to a franchise depends on how many players they retain directly (6 minus the number of direct retentions). For example, if Chennai Super Kings retain four players, they will have two RTMs; if they retain five players, they’ll have one RTM, and retaining six players leaves them with none.