IPL 2022: With better paychecks on cards, players inclined to go into auction pool

With a mega-auction preceding the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), plenty of money-spending and player-shuffling is on the cards. The big auction for the 2022 tournament, which will be a ten-team affair after the addition of two new teams in Lucknow and Ahmedabad, is likely to be held in December or January, the details of which have not yet been revealed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

However, chances are that the existing franchises will be allowed to retain up to four players while the two new ones will be able to pick up three players through a player drafts system, which was last held in 2016 when Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals that were suspended due to the 2013 IPL corruption scam.

The existing franchises have been informally informed by the BCCI that they can retain either three Indian players and one overseas, or two Indians and as many overseas. Further, there will be no provision in the coming auction for Right-to-Match cards (RTM).

Once the existing eight franchises decide which players they will retain and release others into the auction pool, the two new teams will pick three players – most likely two Indians and one overseas – through the players’ drafts system. It is understood that Lucknow will get the first pick by the virtue of being the highest bidder at the auction.

The BCCI is contemplating what the retention fee for each of these players will be. Meanwhile, the choice regarding whether one wants to be retained or wants to go into the auction pool will remain with the concerned individual player, whose consent will be sought before signing.

The BCCI is also yet to make a call on the maximum amount that a franchise can spend on each retained player. During the 2018 mega-auction, each team had an INR 80 crore purse, with the maximum amount to be spent on retained players capped at INR 33 crore.

Given the magnitude of the coming auction, several players are understood to be keen on being released by their franchises to maximize their chance to earn bigger and better. The auction purse for each team is likely to be INR 90 crore.