IPL Teams' salary caps to increase? More retentions in IPL 2025 mega auction? BCCI to meet franchise owners on agendas

A big decision about the retention of the players is likely to be taken by the end of July when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team owners meet by the July end.

The venue for the meeting is likely to be BCCI's headquarters in Mumbai. The dates haven't been confirmed yet but the meeting could take place either on July 30 or July 31.

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BCCI to discuss player retentions and salary Cap with IPL team owners

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the BCCI had already informed the owners about the meeting. The biggest agenda of the meeting is likely to be player retention policy, which has been in the headlines since the last season. It is reported that the franchises have been coming up with different views about it.

The established franchises have supposedly asked for the number of retentions to be increased to eight players. Such demand is to ensure continuity, fan engagement, and brand building.

Meanwhile, some franchises are not in favor of an increased no. of retentions. Such franchises want the no. of retentions as less as possible to make sure that the star players can rotate among other teams as well.

It is also believed that the franchises are likely to discuss their thoughts on the Right to Match (RTM) option as well. The likely discussion would be whether this is needed in the auction or not.

The RTM card provides any franchise the power and opportunity to retain the player after the final bid by matching the value of the final bid. However, the player must have played for the same team in the previous season.

Salary Cap to be increased?

The franchises are also expected to discuss the salary cap with the board. It is expected that it could be increased to around INR 120 crore in the next year. The salary cap for each team is INR 100 crore currently. As a result, there will be discussions around the salaries of the retained players as well.

The report also mentions that the payout for the top retentions was around 16-17% of the total salary. According to that, the top retained players will receive around INR 20 crore. The BCCI is likely to formulate a well-devised plan to solve this matter.

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will be the 18th year of this lucrative T20 league, which has revolutionized the game. The franchise-based league started in 2008 on the back of India's win in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. Since then, IPL has grown from strength to strength. The players' salaries have increased and so has the brand value of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders are the defending champions of the IPL as they won the season in the 2024 edition of the tournament. Led by Shreyas Iyer, KKR lifted its third IPL title in history, making them the third most successful side of IPL after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.