In a significant announcement ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 player mega auction, the tournament governing council has confirmed that franchises can retain up to six players. This retention can be done through either direct retention or by utilizing the Right to Match (RTM) option.
The player regulations also introduce a new rule that classifies a capped Indian player who has not been part of the playing XI in international cricket for the last five years as uncapped. This means that teams can now retain such players as uncapped, potentially saving significant amounts of money.
IPL Retention and RTM Rules
A team is permitted to retain six players from its current squad, combining direct retention and RTM. The maximum number of capped players that can be retained is five, which can include both Indian and overseas players. Additionally, teams can retain up to two uncapped players. There are no restrictions on the number of overseas players that can be retained.
The number of RTM cards available to a team will depend on how many players they retain before the auction.
Also READ: What is RTM card and how it can be used at the IPL 2025 Auction? Details inside
MS Dhoni’s potential retention
One of the most intriguing aspects of the new retention rules is the possibility of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retaining former India captain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player. Given that Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, he meets the criteria for being considered uncapped under the new regulations.
If CSK decides to retain Dhoni as an uncapped player, they will be required to pay him four crore rupees, significantly less than the 12 crore he was obliged to be paid ahead of the 2022 auctions.
Dhoni’s future in the IPL has been a subject of speculation for the past few seasons. After undergoing knee surgery in 2023, he handed over the CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad and played a limited role with the bat in IPL 2024. Recently, Dhoni hinted that his decision on whether to continue playing in the IPL would depend on the finalization of the player retention rules.