The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced revised retention rules ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions on September 28.
Teams can now retain up to six players, including one uncapped player, while the Impact Player rule remains in place. A major change involves stricter rules for overseas players, a move praised by former India pacer Irfan Pathan.
Pathan criticized certain foreign players who were bought for big money but later skipped the tournament, citing various reasons.
Under the new rule, players who declare unavailability after being picked in the auction will face a two-year ban. Pathan welcomed the decision, tweeting, “The IPL is getting stronger in many ways.”
Under the new retention rules, teams can retain up to five capped players and one uncapped player, but doing so eliminates the Right to Match (RTM) option.
There is no limit on the number of overseas players that can be retained, and the salary slabs for retained players have been set, with the first three receiving ₹18 crore, ₹14 crore, and ₹11 crore, respectively.
Teams will have a purse of ₹120 crore, and retaining five capped players will cost ₹75 crore.