The Indian Premier League (IPL) is preparing for the 2025 mega auction, and franchises have till October 31 to decide on players they want to retain. The IPL Governing Council has recently brought new rules to the teams for retaining a maximum of six players—both direct and through the RTM. This comprises up to five capped players, whether from India or other countries, and not over two uncapped players from India.
Notably, any player who represented their country before October 31st will be considered a capped player. But if retained as uncapped and then makes an international debut before the auction, then they are again considered uncapped, for which only Rs 4 crore will be deducted from the team’s auction pool.
The auction purse has been enhanced by Rs 20 crore, making it Rs 120 crore, which means franchises have a better pool of money to assemble good teams. For the uncapped players, the retention cost remains the same at Rs 4 crore every year. Also, a rule that has been carried forward from previous seasons is that Indian players who retired from international cricket at least five years before the start of the season can be bought as an uncapped player. This change especially allows Chennai Super Kings to retain former captain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player because he has not played an international game since the 2019 ODI World Cup.
The IPL also cleared the standing of the Impact Player rule, which has been operational since 2023. This rule is beneficial to allow a first-XI player to change based on match situations, to make good game strategies, and to provide more fun to the fans. In discussions with team owners, there was a high level of support for this rule to remain in place, which has come into effect at the same time as record-breaking match totals.
