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Xtra Time Web Desk: The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council has officially confirmed the retention rules and other key regulations ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Following a detailed meeting with all ten franchises in Bengaluru on Saturday, September 28, the council announced that teams will now be able to retain up to five players before the mega auction. This is an increase from the previous limit of four players in the 2022 mega auction.

Franchises have the freedom to select any combination of Indian or overseas players for these five retentions. Another key decision from the meeting was the return of the Right-to-Match (RTM) card, which will allow teams to match the highest bid for a player they had previously released. Every team will be given one RTM card by default, with the option to earn additional RTMs for unused retention slots. For example, if a team retains only three players, they will receive two extra RTM cards.

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The total purse for each franchise has also seen a significant boost, going up from INR 100 crore to INR 120 crore for IPL 2025. Retaining all five players will cost a team INR 75 crore. Specifically, the first and fourth retentions will each cost INR 18 crore, the second and fifth will be valued at INR 14 crore, and the third retention will cost INR 11 crore.

Details regarding the venue and date of the 2025 mega auction will be revealed by the BCCI and IPL Governing Council soon. These new retention policies and financial regulations were decided after thorough discussions with all franchise owners back in July.

With the revised retention policy and the return of the RTM cards, the IPL 2025 mega auction promises to bring strategic depth to team building, as franchises aim to balance retaining core players while making smart acquisitions within an increased budget. The stage is set for a dynamic auction as teams prepare to make the most of these new opportunities.

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