The , as per media reports, is likely to be held on November 24 and 25 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t announced the venue officially but the franchises have been intimated and asked to plan accordingly.
Several top cities, like London, Singapore, and Dubai, were in contention to host the two-day event, but the BCCI finalised Riyadh due to its world-class infrastructure and growing interest in sports.
IPL 2025 mega auction player retention rules
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises undergo a massive overhaul every three years as each team is only allowed to retain a limited number of players. Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, the BCCI has issued new rules and guidelines, allowing each team to retain a maximum of six players, either before the auction or by using the Right-To-Match (RTM) card during the .
Of these six retentions, franchises can’t retain more than five capped players and more than two uncapped players.
IPL 2025 mega auction: Retained players’ price cap
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The IPL Governing Council has introduced a complex price bracket for . The overall purse cap has been set at Rs 120 crore for all 10 teams.
For their top three retentions, franchises will have to shell out Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore, Rs 11 crore, for the first capped player, the second capped player, and the third capped player, respectively. The next two capped retentions will cost teams Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore, respectively, while each uncapped retention will cost Rs 4 crore.
IPL 2025 mega auction retention deadline
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The 10 franchises have until October 31 to submit the names of the players they want to retain and send into the mega auction. The reintroduction of the RTM card is expected to spice up the whole auction dynamics as teams could prey on their opponents’ signings at the very last moment.
What is Right-To-Match card?
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Some fans have not fully understood the . Let’s find out how this rule works and whether it will benefit the players or the franchises.
The RTM rule was first implemented in 2017 but it was removed in the next mega auction held in 2022. To allow franchises to retain their maximum number of players, the RTM card has been brought back albeit with some changes.
Let’s start with the very basic, the Right-To-Match card is a kind of option for the franchises, which can be used in the auction to sign the player back, whom it has recently released. Even if a rival franchise places a higher bid on that player in the auction, the old franchise can buy him back using the RTM card.
How do the RTM cards work?
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After the initial budding, the team that bids the highest gets to sign him. However, with the introduction of RTM cards, the old franchise will be asked whether it wants to use the RTM card in that player or not. If the franchise agrees to this, then it will have to pay the difference amount. If not, the team that bid the highest in the auction will buy that player.
How many RTM cards are allowed?
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It depends on the number of players the franchise has retained before the auction. As stated above, teams are allowed to retain a maximum of six players. If they retain three, they will be left with three RTM cards, which they can use during the mega auction to sign their old players.