New rule introduced in IPL, Right to Match card returns with changes

IPL 2025 Auction: The IPL Governing Council has announced the retention policy for the mega auction to be held before IPL 2025. This time many new rules and changes will be seen, which will prove to be important for both the teams and the players. Many big decisions were taken in the IPL Governing Council meeting on Saturday, 28 September, the biggest of which was the withdrawal of the Right to Match (RTM) card and the change in its rules. These changes will not only affect the strategies of the teams but the players will also benefit greatly from it.

Retention Policy: Opportunity to retain six players

Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, franchises will be allowed to retain a maximum of six players. This can include both capped and uncapped players, but according to the rules:

Teams can retain a maximum of five capped players (Indian or overseas).

A maximum of two uncapped players will be allowed to be retained.

If a team already retains six players, it will not have the option of Right to Match (RTM) card in the auction. That is, the team will have to pay the price of retaining more players in the form of loss of RTM card. On the other hand, if a franchise retains only five players, it will get the benefit of one RTM card, which it can use to bring back its existing player during the auction.

Right to Match (RTM) Card: New Rule

The rule of Right to Match Card proves to be an important strategic tool for the teams in IPL, as it gives them a chance to bring back their old players in the auction. This time the rules of RTM card have also been changed, which will make the auction process of players even more exciting.

Earlier, if there was the highest bid for a player, then his current team could include that player back in their team by using RTM card, provided it matches the highest bid. But according to the new rules, now the highest bidding team will also get a chance to increase the bid once again.

For example, if the auction is going on for Ishan Kishan and CSK has placed the highest bid of Rs 6 crore, then first Mumbai Indians (Ishan Kishan's current team) will be asked if they want to use the RTM card. If Mumbai Indians agree, CSK will get another chance to increase the bid. If CSK now increases the bid to Rs 10 crore, then Mumbai Indians can again use the RTM card and include Ishan Kishan back in their team for Rs 10 crore.

Players will get benefit

The change in the RTM card rule will also benefit the players. This process gives an opportunity to increase the price of the players as the competition in the auction will increase even more. The highest bidding teams will now get an additional chance to increase the bid, which can further increase the bid figure for the player. This will increase both the demand of the player in the market and his valuation.

Impact on the strategy of the teams

The new retention and RTM card rules will also bring a big change in the strategy of the teams. Teams will now decide more carefully about retaining players, as the number of retentions will have a direct impact on their RTM cards. By retaining fewer players, teams will get more benefit of RTM cards, which will enable them to bring back their key players in the auction.

Teams will try to balance their budget and player preferences based on this rule so that they have maximum opportunities in the auction.

Result

The mega auction of IPL 2025 is going to be even more exciting this time, as the changes made in the retention policy and RTM card rules will make the teams enter the field with new strategies. The auction process of the players will be even more competitive, and the competition among the franchises to get their star players back will also take an interesting turn. The new rules of RTM cards will not only change the strategies of the teams, but will also have a profound impact on the prices of the players.