IPL Mega Auction 2025: BCCI Keen On Continuing With '3+1' Retention Rule, As Per Reports

As per reports, the apex body are keen to continue with the existing rule that allows franchises to retain three players and secure one more player via the 'Right To Match' (RTM) card though, not every franchise is fond of retentions and RTMs applied by the BCCI.

An unnamed franchise official said that only a handful of franchises could retain six to eight players and not all. The source also stated that the auctions are a vital cog of the IPL and too many retentions could make it a worthless exercise.

“Increasing retentions to say 6 or eight and then also having RTMs will make auctions a useless exercise. Auctions have added to the beauty of the IPL and giving it lesser importance will not help in keeping the league in good health,” a team official was quoted on CricketNext.

The IPL franchises have had a mixed response as far as player retentions are concerned for the upcoming mega auction with some teams expressing their dissatisfaction over some teams not getting a loyal fanbase due to a constant transfer of players.

However, the official stated that IPL's fan base cannot be compared to that of the Premier League in the UK.

“Yes, that’s a concern for a lot of teams but we can’t compare fan bases in IPL to fan bases of EPL clubs. It’s still too early for that to happen in the IPL. That is why it has happened to only handful of teams in the IPL. It will take time. And if there is desperation to make that happen, get rid of the auction and introduce a draft. Let there be a transfer system. Again, auctions bring a flavour to the IPL,” the official added.

Ahead of the mega auction, the BCCI will also decide on other key issues such as 'Impact Player' rule that was openly debated by players with the likes of Rohit Sharma stating his concerns over the rule.