'We Want Players To Get Maximum Benefit'

'Whichever teams have the best players they get a chance to retain them.
'There is a lot of scope for new players to come in and get their maximum value, given how the auction is structured.'

The IPL 2025 players' mega auction is all set to become one of the biggest ever in the T20 league's history.

The 10 franchises will have an increased auction purse of Rs 120 crore (Rs 1.2 billion) for this year's mega auction. However, the new retention rules have made their task very interesting and complex.

If a franchise decides to retain five players then they stand to lose Rs 79 crore (Rs 790 million) of their auction purse with the retention slab fixed in the order of Rs 18 crore (Rs 18 million), Rs 14 crore (Rs 140 million), Rs 11 crore (Rs 110 million). For the next two players, Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore as against the previous years when the subsequent retention would come at a lesser price.

The other notable changes include the Right to Match (RTM) option brought back with an interesting twist along and the new rules on uncapped player which could see Chennai Super Kings retain the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni for as low as Rs 4 crore (Rs 40 million).

The sudden pull out of some overseas players' before every season was proving to be a major headache for the IPL teams, but the issue has been addressed by the BCCI with the overseas players, who withdraw without any legitimate reasons set to be banned from the IPL for the two years.

The Indian domestic players are set for a huge bonanza with the introduction of the match fees which could see them around more than Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) if they play the entire season.

IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal expressed his satisfaction with the rule changes for the mega auction, stating that they give all the 10 franchises an equal opportunity to rebuild their teams, while the players who will derive the maximum benefits from increased auction purse and the updated RTM ruling.

"With the new retention rules, we have tried to make sure that the players get the maximum benefit and all the franchises get an equal opportunity to pick the best team,' he tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian in an exclusive interview.

The first of a multi-part interview:

Dhumal also explained why they retained the Impact Player ruling despite some opposition and how the uncapped player rule ensures veterans like Dhoni or Piyush Chawla get the maximum benefit for their continued commitment to the IPL.

The coming IPL mega auction could be the biggest off-field event in Indian sports history taking into account India's T20 World Cup triumph. The new rules of the auction have also added a lot of intrigue to the auction. There is a lot of excitement and buzz already.
How is the feeling within the BCCI and IPL about the players' auction for IPL 2025?

BCCI is looking forward for a great auction. The reason being that this is the first mega auction post introduction of two new IPL teams. So this is a chance for all the 10 IPL franchises to pick the best players and make a good team.

Given the background of the T20 World Cup victory, this is indeed very exciting for us.

There are new leagues which have started across the globe, and new talents are emerging, so they will also be getting a chance to be part of this greatest cricket tournament in the world.

Under your leadership as the IPL chairman along with BBI Secretary Jay Shah, the IPL has continued its excellent growth as one of the world's top sporting leagues.

What makes the IPL one of the hottest sporting properties in the world because very few sporting leagues from around the world can match its popularity and fan following?

The format is the reason, the games are so exciting and competitive that it is engaging the fans. With the introduction of T20 cricket, a new genre of fans are becoming a part of cricket, and a lot of female fans have also taken up to following cricket. The young players are getting a platform to showcase their talent, the new generation is also very well aligned to the IPL, to its format.

IPL has a different buzz altogether and it is very different from any other tournament, whether it is a bilateral Tests, or ODIs, or T20s, because of the way it has been conceived.

The IPL matches mostly go to the last over or the last ball so that makes it all the more exciting. The teams are so competitive, and I would like to thank the franchises also, who have worked hard over the years. They have collaborated with BCCI and that is how we have created this best league in the world.

The IPL was launched soon after India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. This year India won its T20 World Cup for the second time.
Do you expect this to be the biggest and the most popular IPL ever because the craze for cricket in India seems to have reached a new peak after the World Cup win?

The craze for the IPL goes to a new high every season, that is what we have been seeing since the onset of this tournament. I am sure in the coming years, it will only go higher and higher.

Our aim is to make IPL the No 1 league in the world.

There were a lot of discussions with the IPL owners and BCCI and IPL officials spent long hours finalising the new rules for the IPL mega auction.
As you said earlier that because IPL is competitive it is a big hit with the fans, so was that the reason to introduce the new set of rules for the mega auction so as to make a level playing field for all the 10 IPL teams for the next three seasons?

See with the new retention rules, we have tried to make sure that the players get the maximum benefit and all the franchises get an equal opportunity to pick the best team.

This year we have the mega auction, the franchises are going to pick the team for the next three seasons. So this is an opportunity wherein they will get the chance to pick the best players. The idea is that whichever teams have the best players they get a chance to retain them. There is a lot of scope for the new players to come in and get their maximum value, given how the auction is structured.

The two new franchises (Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans) would be going to the IPL mega auction for the first time, so they will also get an equal opportunity like the original eight teams to pick the best players.

One thing that stands out from the rule changes for IPL mega auction is that all of them benefit Indian players whether it is retention or RTM or match fees or uncapped players or maximum fees for overseas players.
Was that the first priority when you and Jay Shah sat with your team to frame the new rules?

The idea is that those players who are showing their 100 percent commitment to the IPL, they should get the best value. Obviously, because this is the Indian Premier League, so Indian players are most committed in that sense.

So why should they be at the receiving end? We have ensured that the players get the maximum value.

But this is a tournament where the best players from across the world are coming and taking part, and this is the best platform for global cricketers. That is why we have ensured that, to maintain that balance, so that all the players, whether be it Indian or overseas, they get their maximum value.

And in any case, Indian players should not be at the receiving end.

One of the new rules for player retention is very interesting. The franchises have been allowed to retain up to five players, but there is an interesting new concept this time around with franchises being deducted Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore, and Rs 11 crore for the first three retentions and Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore for the next year.
What is the reasoning behind this move?

See when you want to retain four to five players, obviously they would be of the same value. We can't create a situation where players of the same value are getting different values. Like in the past mega auction the teams were retaining players for Rs 14 crore, Rs 11 crore, Rs 8 crore and Rs 6 crore.

Now the thing is that if the player sees that he is not getting the right value in retention he has the option of going back to the auction, because the auction is the best place to find value.

See, if you are giving that kind of value in terms of retaining the players, he should get that value right or he should go to the auction, and when you have 10 competing bids, he will get his best value.

So it is fair and clear for everyone, with players being the core, who are giving their best for the tournament, they should get their best value, so that is how the new rule has been crafted.

You have kept all the 10 franchises busy for the next few weeks with this new retention rule on whether retain their stars or use the RTM.
If the franchise retains all five players they lose 79 crore from the overall purse of Rs 120 crore but trying to buy back the players in RTM is also a big risk, you can end up paying more. So this made the auction very complex and exciting.

That was the whole idea. Everyone knows that the auction room is the place where the players find their optimum value. But in case, the franchisee feels that the player holds a premium value, then he should be giving that premium value to that player, rather than retaining him on a lower fee.

It is now up to the franchisee whether they would want to take a chance by retaining their five players and make a team with the purse available in the auction, or whether they would want to take their chances in the auction room by not retaining or retaining one or two players.

The Right To Match ruling is back for the first time after the IPL 2022 auction but there is a big twist this time around with the highest bidder getting one final opportunity to raise their bid for a player before the team holding the RTM card can exercise their right.
Will this rule be beneficial for players who go into the auction?

Yes, precisely for that reason that if you are holding the RTM card, and there is a bidding war among the other three franchises or four franchises, so whosoever bids the maximum amount then he should get one final opportunity.

He may keep the same bid or he may raise the bid price and then if the original franchise feels that the player is still valuable to him, then he should go for the RTM option.

• Part 2: 'Uncapped Player Rule Not An Exception For Dhoni'