There may be an additional delay in the release of the retention rules. According to information circulating among Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners and officials, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could defer the announcement until the end of the month. It should not be a surprise if the policy is made public around the time of the BCCI’S Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is in Bengaluru on September 29.
There is no direct link between the AGM and IPL policies, and the BCCI could still surprise everyone by releasing the policy in the next few days. However, the overriding belief among IPL officials is that the announcement may take at least 10 days to two weeks. While there has been no formal communication to this effect, BCCI officials are believed to have hinted at a delay to franchises, who have recently approached them about the retention rules.
Initially, the BCCI was expected to announce the policy by the end of August, as openly stated by Board officials following last month’s owners’ meeting in Mumbai. However, as the deadline approached, franchise officials reached out to the BCCI and were reportedly informed of a further delay and understanding that it will come in September-end.
Irrespective of the time when the BCCI announces retention policy, it is now understood that the franchises may have time until November 15 to finalize their retention decisions. The auction, likely scheduled for December, will certainly feature the Right to Match (RTM) options too.
The BCCI is believed to be considering a much-debated move of classifying retired international players as uncapped, but it is debatable if that will majorly affect the auction purse. This policy may not be specifically aimed at placing MS Dhoni in the ‘uncapped’ category and helping Chennai Super Kings, since it is in the interest of the league itself if Dhoni plays for one more season.
Besides, CSK officials also maintain that should Dhoni decide to play next season, he would be one of their retentions, even if the BCCI permits only two retentions. Interestingly enough, this decision could also affect players, among others, like Sunil Narine, who retired from international cricket some time ago, with his last appearance being a T20I in 2019.
The general belief is that uncapping retired players may not significantly impact the auction purse, as the BCCI will deduct a percentage of the purse based on the number of retentions, allowing franchises to determine player prices without necessarily determining the value of each retained player, as has been done currently.