After adding two franchises to the mix for IPL 2022, the IPL has decided that the 8 teams can retain a maximum of 4 players. The two new teams meanwhile can acquire 3 players from the player pool before the mega auction, Cricinfo reported.
A date for the mega auction is yet to be decided upon.
The 8 teams can break up the 4 players in combinations of three Indian players and one overseas player or a two plus two. The Indian players retained can be capped or uncapped or a mix of both.
However, the IPL auction, unlike in 2018, will not have a right-to-match cards (RTM).
The new teams can choose 2 Indian players and 1 overseas player ahead of the auction.
The report further explained that for the two new teams there isn’t clarity yet about whether they can pick their 3 players from the group not retained or from the main auction pool, which will of course have more additions.
In 2016, when Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant joined the IPL instead of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who were suspended for their roles in the spot fixing saga of 2013, a player draft was put in place. The two teams were allowed to choose players only from the set of players whom the other teams had not retained.
The Pune side had then got first go at the pick because of their bid being bigger than the Gujarat side. If the same process is followed, the owners of that Pune franchise, the Sanjiv Goenka led RPSG Group would get first choice again as their bid for Lucknow was higher than the one for Ahmedabad, which was won by CVC Capital Partners.
Meanwhile, the retention policy will also allow players to not accept it and go back into the auction.
While the IPL has, according to the report, informally discussed these rules with the franchises, there has been no formal communication yet and it is expected that retentions will have to be completed by the end of November.
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