The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could release its retention rules on Thursday. The rules were earlier expected to be announced in late August but the board delayed its decision with a mega auction looming this year and franchises not too keen on shaking up the balance within their squads. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said in a statement last month that the board will take recommendations from the franchise owners to the IPL Governing Council for "further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations.
According to a report by the Indian Express, IPL franchises may be allowed to retain up to five players, with the Right to Match (RTM) option being removed. This change will benefit teams like Mumbai Indians, who could retain key players such as Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.
During a recent meeting at BCCI headquarters, owners of all 10 IPL teams discussed player retention. Most owners supported retaining 5-6 players for maintaining team continuity and brand value. The BCCI aims to balance this continuity with ensuring a competitive auction.
The last significant auctions took place in 2018 and 2022, and many teams prefer stability over frequent major reshuffles. The upcoming auction is likely to be held outside India in November.
