IPL 2025 Retention: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 player retention deadline is on the verge with less than a day to go before which all ten IPL teams must submit the list of players they want to retain ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The IPL governing council has set the retention announcement deadline of 5 PM IST on October 31. Teams need to finalise their retained players by this time to be eligible for the mega auction.
With less than 24 hours remaining until the player retention announcement deadline, here’s everything you need to know about IPL 2025 retention, along with answers to frequently asked questions.
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When will the IPL 2025 retentions be announced?
IPL teams must submit their retention lists by 5 PM IST on October 31 (Thursday). Jio Cinema will provide the live streaming of the retention announcements at 4:30 PM IST.
How many players can an IPL franchise retain?
Franchises can retain up to six players from their 2024 squad, with a maximum of five being capped players—either Indian or overseas—and two being uncapped Indian players. Six is the highest retention limit allowed by the IPL before a mega auction, enabling franchises to maintain their core team.
Notably, players also have the option to decline a retention offer if they don't wish to remain with the franchise.
What is the purse available for a franchise, and how much will they allocate for retentions?
Each IPL team has a budget of ₹120 crore for the auction, which is a 20 percent increase from the previous year. The base retention value for an uncapped player is ₹4 crore. For capped international players, the retention costs are ₹18 crore for the first player, ₹14 crore for the second, ₹11 crore for the third, ₹8 crore for the fourth and ₹6 crore for the fifth.
Hence, if a team retains five capped international players, they will spend at least ₹75 crore from their total purse of ₹120 crore.
Can the INR 75 crore be split among the five retained players as the franchise wishes?
Yes, the teams can allocate the ₹75 crore retention amount among the five capped players as they wish. If a franchise spends more than ₹75 crore to retain five capped players, the excess amount will be deducted from their total purse. Retaining one capped player will costs a minimum of ₹18 crore, while two costs at least ₹32 crore, three costs a minimum of ₹43 crore, and four costs at least ₹61 crore.
What is the new uncapped player rule for Indians who have retired?
The BCCI has reintroduced a rule that permits Indian players who have not participated in international cricket for five years before the current season to be designated as "uncapped players" in the IPL auction. This rule was first established in the inaugural 2008 season but was eliminated in 2021.
What is the Right to match (RTM) options and how does it work?
The RTM process allows a franchise to buy back a player by matching the highest bid made by another team during the auction. However, unlike previous auctions, the winning franchise will have a chance to increase their bid after an RTM is invoked, requiring the player's former team to match this new amount to retain the player.
During the IPL mega auction, teams that retain fewer than six players can utilise the RTM options to reacquire players. For instance, a team retaining three players will have three RTM options, while a team retaining none will have six options. If a team retains five capped players, their remaining RTM option can only be used for an uncapped player and if they retain two uncapped players, they cannot use RTM on another uncapped player.