With the much-anticipated IPL 2025 season fast approaching, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced new retention rules, shaking up the retention process with updated regulations that include a maximum player limit, the unique ‘MS Dhoni’ uncapped player rule, and the reintroduction of the Right to Match (RTM) card. Teams have until October 31 (Thursday) at 5 p.m. IST to turn in their list of retentions. The main IPL broadcaster, Jio Cinema, will start airing a show on it at 4:30 p.m. IST.

Six players from each team's 2024 squad may be kept. This can happen during the retention phase or during the actual auction when the right-to-match card is used. The number of foreign players that can be kept is unlimited. Only foreigners may be retained by a franchise. A team may only keep two uncapped players and five capped internationals, whether they are from India or another country.

For the auction, a franchise had a purse of ₹120 crore, a 20% increase over the previous year. An uncapped player's base retention value is ₹4 crore. The team will have to pay ₹18 crore for the first retained player, ₹14 crore for the second, ₹11 crore for the third, ₹18 crore for the fourth, and ₹14 crore for the fifth in the international tournament. It implies that a team would have already spent ₹79 crore out of their budget if they choose to keep the maximum number of five international players plus one uncapped player.

For the auction, a franchise had a purse of ₹120 crore, a 20% increase over the previous year. An uncapped player's base retention value is ₹4 crore. The team will have to pay ₹18 crore for the first retained player, ₹14 crore for the second, ₹11 crore for the third, ₹18 crore for the fourth, and ₹14 crore for the fifth in the international tournament. It implies that a team would have already spent ₹79 crore out of their budget if they choose to keep the maximum number of five international players plus one uncapped player.

A regulation that permitted Indian players who had not participated in international cricket for five years prior to the relevant season to enter the IPL auction as "uncapped players" has been reinstated by the BCCI. The regulation was removed in 2021 after being in effect since the first season in 2008. Thus, unless they choose to pay him more, CSK can keep MS Dhoni, whose most recent international appearance was in the 2019 World Cup semifinal, for ₹4 crore. Since Dhoni is still undoubtedly the league's biggest draw, it has been generally claimed that the regulation has been reinstated to help CSK keep the 43-year-old former India captain, who won the World Cup.

With these retention rules in place, the IPL 2025 auction is expected to be highly dynamic, with franchises taking calculated steps to balance their squads with seasoned professionals and rising stars. The return of the RTM card will likely make the bidding process more intense, as fans and franchises alike anticipate the possibility of surprise retentions and last-minute tactical moves.

Experts believe the new retention rules will benefit both players and franchises by creating a more level playing field. “These rules promote talent nurturing and create more opportunities for emerging players,” said an IPL spokesperson. For fans, these updates are expected to bring fresh excitement, as they’ll see more young, uncapped players getting a chance to make their mark alongside established stars.