In simple terms, before the IPL 2025 season and the upcoming mega auction, a decision has been made about the player retention rules. IPL teams now have a deadline to decide which players they want to retain. According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, teams have until October 31 to make their decisions. A key meeting was held on Saturday in Bengaluru, where the IPL’s top officials discussed and finalized several important matters, including player retention.

The IPL governing council has allowed franchises to retain up to six players from their previous teams ahead of the 2025 mega auction. This includes the option to use one Right to Match (RTM) card. Franchises can retain a maximum of five capped players (Indian and foreign combined) and up to two uncapped players. If a team retains five capped players, the sixth must be uncapped.

An Indian player will be considered “uncapped” if they haven’t played for the national team in the last five calendar years. If an Indian capped player hasn’t been in the playing XI in international cricket or held a central contract with the BCCI during this time, they will also be considered uncapped. If a player makes their international debut before October 31, they will be considered capped, but after this date, they remain uncapped. The auction purse for each franchise has also been raised to ₹120 crore.

Foreign players must register for the auction

Any foreign player who wants to be part of the mega auction must register beforehand. If a foreign player fails to register, they will be ineligible to participate in the mini-auction next year.