IPL 2025 Auction: Understanding Right To Match And Player Retention Rules

The stage is set for the IPL Mega Auction 2025, taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. All ten franchises will have the opportunity to finalise their squads for the next edition of the Indian Premier League.

During this auction, teams will engage in intense bidding wars. The IPL governing council has announced player regulations for the 2025-27 cycle, reintroducing the Right to Match (RTM) card with a new twist.

The RTM card allows franchises to match a winning bid to reacquire a player from their previous season. This gives teams a chance to retain key players they had released earlier.

For instance, if Chennai Super Kings bids Rs 4 Crore for Glenn Maxwell, Royal Challengers Bengaluru can match that bid to buy back the Australian all-rounder. However, this edition introduces a significant change.

The RTM rule returns with an added twist in 2025. While Team B can still match a winning bid for their former player, Team A can now increase its bid further. Team B then has the option to match this final bid to reclaim their player.

For example, if CSK bids Rs 4 Crore for Maxwell and RCB matches it, CSK can raise their bid again, say to Rs 8 Crore. RCB can then use RTM to buy back Maxwell at Rs 8 Crore instead of Rs 4 Crore.

This isn't the first time RTM has been used in IPL auctions. It was previously allowed during the mega auctions of 2014 and 2018. The rule was removed in 2022 but is now back for the upcoming auction.

IPL 2025 Auction RTM Slots

• CSK - 1 RTM (either capped or uncapped)
• RCB - 3 RTMs (either all capped or two capped and one uncapped)
• MI - 1 RTM (uncapped)
• KKR - No RTMs available
• RR - No RTMs available
• DC - 2 RTMs (either both capped or one capped and one uncapped)
• LSG - 1 RTM (capped)
• GT - 1 RTM (capped)
• SRH - 1 RTM (uncapped)
• PBKS - 4 RTMs (all capped)

The previous mega auctions saw teams using RTM cards extensively. In total, there were 32 instances where players were bought back using this option across the auctions held in 2014 and 2018.

Players Bought Using RTM in IPL Mega Auctions

The IPL Mega Auctions of past years witnessed several players being reacquired through the Right to Match card. In the auction of 2014, teams bought back a total of thirteen players using this option.

• Faf Du Plessis (Chennai Super Kings) - Rs 4.75 Crore
• Pragyan Ojha (Mumbai Indians) - Rs 2 Crore
• Kedar Jadhav (Delhi Capitals) - Rs 2 Crore

The trend continued in the IPL Mega Auction of 2018 when nineteen players were bought back using the Right to Match card by various franchises.

• Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) - Rs 5.40 Crore
• Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) - Rs 6.40 Crore
• Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians) - Rs 8.80 Crore

This strategic tool allows teams flexibility in retaining valuable players while navigating competitive bidding scenarios during auctions.