IPL 2025: Franchise can retain a maximum of 6; MS Dhoni can play as 'uncapped' player

MUMBAI: In an unprecedented move, the Governing Council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has allowed each franchise to retain as many as six players, either through retention or Right to Match (RTM) option, from their existing squad for the upcoming 2025 edition so that they can keep together the nucleus of their squad in the year of mega auction.

It is left to the discretion of the franchise to choose their combination for Retentions and Right to Match, picking either Indian or foreign players, However, the six retentions/RTMs can have a maximum of five capped players (Indian & Overseas) and a maximum of 2 uncapped players.

The auction purse for the franchises has been set at INR 120 crore for IPL 2025 and the total salary cap will now consist of auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees. Previously in 2024, the total salary cap (auction purse + incremental performance pay) was Rs. 110 cr which will now be Rs. 146 Cr (2025), Rs. 151 Cr (2026) and Rs. 157 Cr (2027).

The move to limit the number of "uncapped players" that can be retained seems to be aimed at preventing franchises from including too many retired top stars as "uncapped" players so that the franchise can go into the auction with a bigger fund. The Chennai Super Kings have been listing India legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni as an "uncapped player" and retaining him at a throwaway price.

"Following a constructive dialogue with the owners of the 10 franchises in July at the BCCI Headquarters, the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council (GC) met in Bengaluru on Saturday to decide the IPL Player Regulations 2025-2027," the IPL Governing Council informed in a release on Saturday.

The IPL also informed that a match fee has been introduced for the first time in the history of the IPL. Each Playing member (Including the Impact Player) will get a match fee of INR 7.5 lakh per match. This will be in addition to his contracted amount.

Any Overseas Player will have to register for the Big Auction. In case the overseas player doesn't register, then he will be ineligible to register in the following year’s player auction.

It was also decided that players who register in the player auction and after getting picked at the auction, make themselves unavailable before the start of the season, will get banned from participating in the tournament and player auction for two seasons.

The IPL Governing Council also decided that a capped Indian player will become uncapped if the player has in the last five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or does not have a Central Contract with BCCI. This will apply to Indian Players only.

Though some of the experts have expressed misgivings about the Impact Player rule, the IPL decided that the Impact Player Regulation will continue for the 2025 to 2027 cycle.