Delhi Capitals want Impact Player released; Sunrisers Hyderabad recommend seven players for retention

Delhi Capitals (DC) owner Parth Jindal wants the Impact Player rule scrapped, while Kavya Maran, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner, has recommended at least seven players be retained without limits on the number of foreign players bought. . There was also a separate vote to have a grand auction every five years. These are some of the discussions during the meeting between the BCCI and the owners of the ten IPL teams on Wednesday, Mumbai.

The meeting, which was held at the BCCI office, was scheduled to discuss various points regarding the holding of the IPL 2025 season. There were also discussions on whether the right-to-match (RTM) card option should be brought back in the auction, and if a special category for uncapped players should be created to promote teams to scout and develop young talent. The frequency of major auctions and the auction fund were among the other points discussed.

In a press release, the BCCI said the recommendations would be taken to the IPL governing body for “deliberate discussion and evaluation” before formulating rules for the players. The retention and auction rules for the 2025 season are expected to be finalized by the end of August.

Impact Player ‘hurts Indian cricket’

Jindal agreed with Rohit’s opinion. “Some people want it because it gives young players a chance to play in the IPL,” said Jindal after the meeting. “Some don’t want it because it hurts Indian cricket in the development of all-rounders. So it’s mixed, I’m in the second camp. 11 against 11, and I think all-rounders are very important and you have different players who don’t bowl in IPL or don’t bat in IPL because of this rule, which is not good for Indian cricket.”

Final combination and RTM? Number of reserves?

Retention was high on the agenda and Jindal said “it’s all up in the air” with groups asking for different numbers. It is understood that Maran has asked for at least seven reservations. Not surprising considering SRH have several big names in their squad. Apart from captain Pat Cummins, players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy and T Natarajan played a key role in SRH finishing as runners-up in the 2024 season.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Maran has asked the IPL not to set the number of overseas Indians and non-franchise Indians that it can retain once the IPL completes the final number. He said they will depend on keeping many overseas players. This view was echoed by more than one company during a recent meeting with IPL CEO Hemang Amin.

The franchises told Amin that retaining the core was important not only from a playing perspective but also to help teams build fan loyalty with some of the veteran players. They also wanted to retain the untapped Indian talent in which they had invested deeply.

ESPNcricinfo also learned that Maran proposed that players could be protected through a bare-bones retention process or a combination of retention and RTM auctions or all exclusively through a right-to-match (RTM) card. The latter option, it is understood, was suggested by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who had asked for eight players to be bought and only through RTM.

Maran is believed to have told the conference that the franchise will have an opportunity to discuss with the player whether he wants to be retained before the auction or through the RTM option. This will not leave the player “angry” about his final price, he said. According to previous experience, Maran pointed out that players prefer to go to the auction because they see that the final price is low.

RTM, which allows the market to determine the price, was previously part of the big auction in 2018 but not in 2022 when the teams are renewed after a four-year cycle. Maran felt that a player would be better paid if he chose the RTM option, so that the auction fund would state his exact value. Either way, Maran said, the program will ensure transparency.

A piecemeal auction?

Jindal said that while the franchises are “not on the same page on many issues”, he is “surprised” some owners want the auction to end.

“I was surprised,” he said. “There was a debate. Some people said there shouldn’t be a big auction at all. There should only be small auctions. I’m not in that camp. I feel it’s a level playing field and it’s good for everyone. It makes the IPL what it is. It makes it a level playing field.

Maran was one of those who liked to have big sales every five years. He also suggested a small auction for the 2025 season.

Storage pot instead of slabs

During their meeting with Amin, other franchises, including SRH, suggested that the IPL should let them decide to negotiate with players on retention rates instead of listing them with retention slabs which has been the norm in previous big auctions.

Maran is believed to have suggested that according to the number of players caught, the IPL can decide the amount of the franchise that will negotiate with the players.

Apart from Jindal and Maran, other owners present in the meeting were Shah Rukh Khan (principal owner of KKR), Manoj Badale and Ranjit Barthakur (principal owner and chairman of Rajasthan Royals respectively), Kiran Gandhi (owner of DC), Rupa Gurunath and and Kasi Viswanathan (owner and CEO of CSK respectively), Prathmesh Mishra and Rajesh Menon (chairman and vice president at Diageo, the group that owns RCB), Sanjiv Goenka and Shashwat Goenka (owner of LSG and his son), Ness Wadia (co-owner of Punjab Kings), Amit Soni (CVC Partners, owners of Gujarat Titans) and Akash Ambani (owner of Mumbai Indians), who is understood to have attended approx.