Ravichandran Ashwin voiced his concerns regarding the player retention rule in the IPL, as he thinks it does not add to the player’s price expectations.
The BCCI had its annual franchise meet recently, where the table was open for several discussions regarding players’ salary hikes, RTM (right to match), and many more. While most of the IPL franchise owners were inclined towards having a higher number of RTMs to retain the most valuable cricketers, Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran Indian spinner, openly criticised the system.
For those who are unaware, in an IPl auction, RTM (Right to Match) allows a team to retain a player by matching the highest bid made by another team during the bidding process, thereby keeping the player in their squad.
Ravichandran Ashwin was vocal about the price factor, as he stated that players will miss out on their actual demand if they are retained because their prices will not exceed much more than their base price in the auction.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin talked about the rule, as quoted by Sportskeeda. “There is nothing more unfair for a player than RTM. Because how has the RTM rule been so far? For example, there is a player called X. He is on a team called the Sunrisers. There is a player on the SunRisers. His current value is around five to six crores. He went to an auction. The SunRisers have to buy the player back. So, the SunRisers will bid for the player at a base price of two crore.”
ALSO READ | Bangladesh Cricket Board Seeks Government Support to Host Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 | Reports
He further explained the drawbacks of the rule with an elaborate example. “KKR and the Mumbai Indians are bidding for the player. The bid is up to six crores. The player was sold to the Mumbai Indians for six crores. So, the SunRisers will bid for the player at six crores. The problem here is that SunRisers are happy. KKR and Mumbai Indians are unhappy. Kumudha is unhappy. The only person happy is SunRisers. Because, for the first time, they gave attendance. After that, there is no fair value at all. There is a bidder,” he added.
Last Updated on August 10, 2024