Price cap to be levied on foreign players in the upcoming IPL Auction - Reports

New rules for the auction preceding the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) were announced on September 28. The meeting to determine the rules was held in Bengaluru.

The eight-point media advisory regarding the rules and regulations for the auction was issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This saw the auction purse for the franchises being bumped from ₹100 crores to ₹120 crores. Additionally, provisions for five retentions and one Right to Match (RTM) Card were made with teams being allowed to retain up to two foreign players.

There have been a couple of rules in place for the foreign players as well with there being a ban if the players do not participate after being acquired in the auction. However, as per Cricbuzz, there is another rule which states that there will be a price cap on overseas players from the mini-auctions held from 2026.

The highest retention slab for a player has now been bumped up from ₹16 crores in 2022 to ₹18 crores this year. The maximum price that an overseas player can get from the auction will be determined by the highest retention price slab or the most expensive buy at the auction, whichever is the lower of the two mentioned. The amount surpassing the limit will then go to the BCCI, who will be using it for players' welfare.

We'll take Sam Curran as an example to explain the rule in place. If an Indian player, say Ishan Kishan, was the most expensive buy in this year's auction at ₹15 crores, then the next auction will see the price limit for an overseas player being capped at ₹15 crores. Should Curran go for a sum of ₹20 crores, the player will receive ₹15 crores but the remaining sum will go towards BCCI's Player Welfare Program.

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Overseas Players will be banned if they pull out of the tournament after being brought in the auction

The eight-point media advisory issued by BCCI sees strict rules in place for the overseas players who will participate in the auction. Should they be acquired in the auction and pull out of the tournament, there will be a ban on the player that will see him miss two subsequent years of auctions that will be held.

The retentions by all ten Teams need to be submitted by October 31, 2024, by 5 PM IST. The venue and date for the auction are yet to be communicated to the teams.