Harsha Bhogle, agreeing with Venky Mysore of KKR, suggested that IPL teams should be allowed to retain six to eight players instead of the usual four, using right-to-match cards to maintain fair market value.
The 17th IPL season concluded with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership claiming the title. As teams gear up for the 18th edition, a mega auction is scheduled before IPL 2025, allowing limited player retentions.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has suggested increasing the retention limit from the usual four to six to eight players, maintaining the auction purse’s integrity. He also proposed a system where teams could retain players if they have a fair market value, using right-to-match cards instead of direct retentions, an idea put forward by Venky Mysore of KKR.
“If we can retain the sanctity of the purse I think we must have six to eight retentions I don’t mind that at all. Venky Mysore of KKR has come up with a very workable suggestion which is that you should be allowed to retain players if they have a fair market value so say no retentions but eight right-to-match cards. I know that’ll change the auction dynamics enormously but that’s something worth considering,” Bhogle said in a video on his YouTube channel.
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Earlier, in response to players’ desires for greater auction opportunities, a potential solution emerged from Mysore that benefits both players and franchises. This proposal suggested allowing players to enter the auction pool while enabling franchises to retain them using the Right to Match (RTM) card. The RTM card permits teams to reacquire an unretained player from the previous season by matching the highest bid.
In the 2022 mega auction, RTM cards were not utilized due to the addition of two new teams. However, in previous mega auctions like those in 2014 and 2018, teams successfully employed the RTM cards, demonstrating its effectiveness in retaining key players within the league.
Last Updated on May 29, 2024
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