IPL 2025: 75 crores will be spent on five players! This is how IPL's retention rules are creating problems

IPL 2025 Retention Rules: The difficulties of the teams seem to be increasing regarding the IPL 2025 mega auction. Especially the retention policy is becoming a cause of trouble for the teams.

IPL 2025 Retention Rules BCCI AGM:

IPL 2025 is still far away but the excitement for the upcoming season is increasing due to the mega auction. The topic of retention rules before the auction is also the center of discussion. According to some reports, in the mega auction, each team will be able to retain 5 players and will be allowed to use the Right to Match (RTM card) on one player. But now a big update has come out that teams may have to pay a very heavy price for retention.

Contents

IPL 2025 Retention Rules BCCI AGM:Teams will have to pay a heavy price!The Retention Rule and Its Impact ₹75 Crores Spent on Just Five Players The Big Names Versus the Squad Depth Young Talent: The Casualty of Retention?Retention and Fan Expectations What’s the Solution?Conclusion Gadgets I use

BCCI has recently increased the salary of players playing in IPL. Jay Shah said that now every player will be given a match fee of Rs 7.5 lakh separately in addition to his contract. For this, every team will have to keep a match fee budget of Rs 12.6 crore ready.

Teams will have to pay a heavy price!

If we put these figures together, a team’s Rs 75 crore can be spent on retaining players and paying match fees. In such a situation, every franchise will have to spend money wisely to build a strong team. This time the auction will be on a large scale, so the excitement towards the auction has also increased.

It is also worth noting that teams are facing a lot of problems in making their budget regarding retention policy and RTM card. If a team retains all 5 players, then perhaps they will spend less money, but the important thing here would be to retain those 5 players, so that the team’s auction budget does not get completely spoiled. On the other hand, there is also speculation of a rule that if a team retains only one player, then after that it will be allowed to play RTM card on 5 other players.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always been a high-stakes game of cricket and finances, with team owners splashing massive sums to build their dream squads. However, as we head into IPL 2025, the financial landscape is becoming more complex than ever, with a staggering ₹75 crores expected to be spent on just five players across several franchises. The IPL’s retention rules, designed to maintain balance and continuity, are creating a headache for team management, leading to tough decisions and potential complications.

The Retention Rule and Its Impact

The IPL retention policy allows teams to retain a certain number of core players before the mega auction, ensuring stability and loyalty. However, retaining star players comes with a hefty price tag. Each franchise can retain a maximum of five players, but the cost of retention is deducted from their overall salary cap, leaving them with limited funds to build the rest of the squad.

For IPL 2025, the retention costs have reached sky-high figures, with elite players commanding salaries ranging from ₹15 crores to ₹20 crores per season. While teams may feel compelled to retain their top performers, doing so significantly limits their ability to buy new talent in the auction. This is where the problem begins.

₹75 Crores Spent on Just Five Players

Several IPL franchises are facing a scenario where retaining just five players will cost them up to ₹75 crores, leaving only ₹50 crores or less to fill the remaining 18-20 slots on their roster. With player prices inflating each year, this leaves very little flexibility for team management to acquire quality players to build a balanced squad.

For instance, star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah are expected to command retention fees upwards of ₹18-20 crores each. While these players are undoubtedly worth every penny, spending a significant portion of the budget on a few players creates a ripple effect, limiting a team’s ability to acquire all-rounders, specialist bowlers, and emerging talents.

The Big Names Versus the Squad Depth

One of the biggest dilemmas facing IPL franchises in 2025 is the choice between keeping their marquee names or focusing on squad depth. While retaining a player like MS Dhoni or AB de Villiers in the past has worked wonders for fan engagement and team morale, IPL’s ever-evolving competition has proven that a strong bench is often more crucial than star power alone.

Teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have previously succeeded because of their deep rosters, where emerging talents and seasoned campaigners could step in and deliver match-winning performances. With 75 crores potentially tied up in just five players, the risk is that teams may not be able to afford quality backups or bench strength. Injuries, dips in form, or even just bad luck could derail a team that lacks depth.

Young Talent: The Casualty of Retention?

Another area of concern is how the retention rules might affect the opportunities for young talent to break into the IPL. With so much money tied up in retaining big names, franchises may have less incentive—or financial flexibility—to bid for uncapped or emerging players during the auction. This could result in fewer young Indian talents being picked up, stifling the league’s ability to develop the next generation of stars.

Franchises like Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, known for nurturing young talent like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Prithvi Shaw, may find themselves squeezed for funds and unable to invest as much in promising youngsters.

Retention and Fan Expectations

There’s also the matter of fan expectations. In a league like the IPL, where loyalty runs deep, fans expect their favorite players to stay with the same franchise year after year. Retaining key players helps maintain continuity and builds an emotional connection between the fans and the team. However, if the financial strain of retention means that teams cannot remain competitive, fan loyalty could be tested.

For instance, if a team spends ₹20 crores retaining a player like David Warner but fails to sign quality bowlers or all-rounders due to budget constraints, fans might be left wondering if the trade-off was worth it. A star player’s individual brilliance can only carry a team so far in a tournament as competitive as the IPL.

What’s the Solution?

While the retention rules were designed to foster loyalty and give teams the option to keep their core intact, the financial pressures are beginning to outweigh the benefits. Some experts have suggested increasing the overall salary cap for each franchise to accommodate the rising retention costs, allowing teams more flexibility to balance their squads.

Another possible solution could be revisiting the number of retentions allowed per team. If teams were limited to retaining three or four players instead of five, it could help franchises avoid spending disproportionate amounts on a small group of players, giving them more room to bid on others in the auction.

Conclusion

As IPL 2025 approaches, the ₹75 crores being spent on just five players has become a point of concern for many franchises. While retaining star players ensures continuity and fan engagement, the financial strain is beginning to impact teams’ ability to build well-rounded squads. The IPL’s retention rules, although well-intentioned, may need to be re-evaluated to maintain competitive balance and ensure that the league continues to develop young talent.

The upcoming auction and season will be a true test for team management, as they navigate these financial challenges while striving to put together winning combinations. In the end, it’s not just about the star players—it’s about having a team that can fight till the last over, and that’s where retention rules could make or break a franchise’s success.