While the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) going strong, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has been discussing with the franchise owners regarding changes for the mega-auction for later this year on an informal basis.
According to a report by The Times of India, Player retention has been a major point of discussion with a majority of franchises seeking the means to keep more players in their squad. As of the previous mega auction in 2022, teams were allowed to retain four players including two foreign players and were given a right-to-match card to keep one more additional player.
A BCCI source was quoted in the report saying, “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 franchises are in favour of having a provision where they can retain about eight players before the auction”.
The source has suggested the additional retentions would allow teams to maintain continuity in their squad as opposed to breaking up the core members regularly. However, this suggestion has not been accepted unanimously by the franchise owners.
The mega-auctions will serve each franchise as the opportunity to build their team with the best possible crop of players and the respective teams if they are to have successful seasons in the following seasons, will have to establish a core group of players who can serve the side until the next mega-auction.
