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The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded recently in Chennai with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets to claim their third IPL title. KKR bowled out SRH for a meager 113 runs and chased down the target in just 10.3 overs, sealing a comprehensive victory.
Excitement builds for IPL 2025 mega auction
Now that the IPL 2024 has concluded, excitement is already mounting for the 2025 season, especially because it will feature a mega auction. This event mandates that all teams release their players back into the auction pool, although they can retain a certain number of players from their current squads. The exact rules on player retention are still under debate, adding to the anticipation.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore’s innovative proposal
KKR CEO Venky Mysore has introduced a unique idea regarding the retention policy for the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. This proposal was highlighted in a video by Harsha Bhogle, the renowned Indian commentator and cricket analyst, on his YouTube channel.
Mysore’s suggestion revolves around scrapping the traditional pre-auction player retentions. Instead, he proposed allowing teams to use eight Right to Match (RTM) cards during the auction. This would enable teams to retain players by matching the highest bid, thus ensuring they pay a fair market price.
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“Venky Mysore of KKR has come up with a workable suggestion, which is that you should be allowed to retain players if they have a fair market value. So, no retentions but eight right to match cards. I know that’ll change the auction Dynamics enormously but that’s something worth considering,” said Bhogle.
Historical context and auction mechanics
The RTM mechanism, which allows franchises to retain players by matching the highest bid made during the auction, was previously used in the IPL 2014 and IPL 2018 mega auctions. However, it was not included in the IPL 2022 auction due to the addition of two new franchises: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT).
During the IPL 2022 auctions, each team had a purse of INR 90 crore and could retain up to four players, with a maximum of three Indian players and two overseas players. Mysore’s new proposal, if accepted, could dramatically shift how teams strategize and build their squads.
