There may be a further delay in the release of the IPL retention rules.
Reports among IPL franchise owners and officials suggest that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could postpone the announcement until the end of the month.
It is possible that the policy might be revealed around the time of the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Bengaluru on September 29.
While there is no direct connection between the AGM and IPL policies, the BCCI might still surprise everyone by releasing the policy sooner.
However, the prevailing expectation among IPL officials is that the announcement could be delayed by at least 10 days to two weeks.
Although there has been no formal communication to this effect, BCCI officials are believed to have hinted at a delay to franchises, who have recently inquired about the retention rules.
The BCCI was initially expected to announce the policy by the end of August, as indicated by Board officials after last month’s owners’ meeting in Mumbai.
As the deadline approached, franchise officials reached out to the BCCI and were reportedly informed of a further delay, with an updated expectation of an announcement by the end of September.
Regardless of the announcement timing, franchises are now believed to have until November 15 to finalize their retention decisions.
The auction, likely scheduled for December, will likely include the Right to Match (RTM) options as well.
The BCCI is considering a contentious move to classify retired international players as uncapped, although it is uncertain if this will significantly impact the auction purse.
This policy may not be specifically aimed at placing MS Dhoni in the ‘uncapped’ category to benefit Chennai Super Kings, as it is generally beneficial for the league if Dhoni plays another season.
CSK officials have stated that if Dhoni chooses to play next season, he would be one of their retentions, even if the BCCI permits only two retentions.
This decision could also affect players like Sunil Narine, who retired from international cricket with his last T20I appearance in 2019.
The general belief is that uncapping retired players may not drastically affect the auction purse, as the BCCI plans to deduct a percentage of the purse based on the number of retentions, allowing franchises to set player prices without needing to determine the value of each retained player as currently practiced.
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