All that you need to know about the IPL retentions

What do we know about retention?

With two new franchises, from Ahmedabad and Lucknow added to the roster, the Indian Premier League from 2022 will be a ten-team affair. Now with that comes a big question, what happens to the current squad from the existing teams?

Each of the previous eight teams, will be allowed to retain up to four players, in the combination of either two foreign players, two Indian players or three Indian players and one foreign player. The three Indians that would be retained, can be all capped, all uncapped or a mix of both. But they can’t retain more than two overseas players; more than two uncapped players.

What happened in the 2018 IPL Auction?

In the 2018 IPL Auction, the franchises were allowed to retain three players, with two Right-to-match (RTM) cards, with a total purse value of INR 80 crore to spend at the Auction. In case the franchises did only retain one or two players, the RTM card was capped at three, that they could spend at the Auction. 

How about now?

The total purse value for the franchises in this year’s Mega Auction is going to be Rs 90 crore but without any RTM card, which means that the franchises would only be allowed to retain up to four players prior to the Auction. 

What about the new franchises?

For the two new franchises - Lucknow and Ahmedabad - the rules are pretty much like it was for Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions in the 2016 season. A player draft method would be followed where the two franchises would be able to pick their first-choice three players. With Lucknow being the costlier franchise, they would have the first pick from the pool of players. 

The uncertainty: While it is certain that the franchises will be able to pick three players, there is yet a confusion on whether the three players have to be necessarily from the released list of players or could be from a larger pool of players. 

Who decides the retention?

Previously, the power of retention was in the hands of the franchise, which later became subjected to the players’ wish. Gautam Gambhir asked Kolkata Knight Riders not to retain him before a move to Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils). This year too, the ultimate decision would be in the hands of the player, with reports suggesting that KL Rahul could part ways with Punjab Kings in order to move to another franchise

What are the exact figures for retention?

The retention slabs before the upcoming Auction are as follows:

1. If a franchise retains four players: The first retained player would be paid Rs 16 crore, with second receiving Rs 12 crore, third player with eight crore and the fourth with six crore, which will remove Rs 42 crores out of the existing purse. 

2. If a franchise retains three players: The first player would be paid Rs 15 crore, the second Rs 11 crore and the third, Rs 7 crore.

3. If a franchise retains just two players: Two players would be paid at 14 crore and 10 crore respectively. 

4. If a franchise retains just the skipper/one player: The only retained player would earn Rs 14 crore.

And if the player retained is/are uncapped: Irrespective of whether the player is the only retention or just another retention amongst a bigger group, the uncapped player would receive Rs 4 crore. 

When is the window?

For the existing franchises, the last date of retention would be November 30, with them getting the entire month for shortlisting their players. On the other hand, for the two new franchises, they will be allowed to pick their players from December 1 to December 25, after which they won’t be allowed to pick.