Delay in Announcement of IPL Retention Rules
There is a potential for further delay in the release of the retention rules by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), according to sources within the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. The final decision may be deferred until the end of September, around the time of BCCI's Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is set to take place in Bengaluru on September 29.
There is no confirmed connection between the AGM and the IPL policies. However, IPL officials believe that the release could take a minimum of 10 days to two weeks. The delay has been hinted at to the franchises by the BCCI officials. Originally, the retention policies were expected to be announced by the end of August. Despite this, as the deadline drew closer, franchise officials were reportedly informed of further delay and that the announcement would likely happen at the end of September.
Regardless of the timing of the announcement, according to recent understanding, franchises may have until November 15 to finalize their retention decisions. The auction, which is expected to take place in December, will include the Right to Match (RTM) options.
An interesting policy that the BCCI might be considering is the categorization of retired international players as 'uncapped'. There's a debate regarding whether this classification will cause any significant changes in the auction purse. This particular policy doesn't seem to specifically favor any player or team, but it appears to be in the league's best interest. For instance, if MS Dhoni decides to play the next season, it is anticipated that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would retain him, even if the BCCI permits only two retentions.
Another player who could be affected by this policy is Sunil Narine, who retired from international cricket sometime ago. Uncapping retired players is not expected to majorly influence the auction purse as BCCI is likely to deduct a percentage of the purse based on the number of retentions. This policy allows franchises to decide player prices without directly determining the value of each retained player.
