IPL 2025: Retention Rules Explained Ahead Of Oct. 31 Deadline

As we inch closer to the 18th edition of the marquee Indian Premier League, the deadline for the 10 teams to announce their retained players for the forthcoming season is set for Oct. 31.

The retention list will allow the teams to reserve a handful of players who might continue to play a significant role for the team. The rest will become part of the mega auction, scheduled to take place in the latter half of November.

The IPL governing council decided during a meeting with the owners of the 10 IPL franchises that each team can retain only six players from their current squad, either through retention or by using the right to match.

The six retentions should have a maximum of five capped players—this may include both Indian and overseas players or two uncapped players.

The total salary cap—encompassing auction purse, incremental performance pays, and match fees—has increased to Rs 146 crore from Rs 110 crore in the previous year. It will further increase to Rs 151 crore and Rs 157 crore in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

Each playing member of the franchise will receive a match fee of Rs 7.5 lakh per match, in addition to his contracted amount. Any players who make themselves unavailable for the tournament after being picked by a team will be banned from participating in the tournament for the next two years.

Overseas players will be ineligible to participate in the tournament if they fail to register for the auction.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, announced his retirement from international formats in 2020 through an Instagram post. However, he continued to entertain his fans by playing in the IPL till 2024, keeping them excited for the upcoming season.

Following the rule change, Chennai Super Kings have a chance to retain Dhoni as an uncapped player, a rule that is applicable for only Indian players.

An Indian player who has played internationally will be considered uncapped if they haven't been part of the playing XI in any international matches (Test, ODI, or T20) in the last five years or if they don't have a Central Contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI.

The impact player rule allows the team to substitute any player from the starting XI with a batsman or a bowler at any point during the match. The BCCI has decided to continue the impact player regulation for the 2025–2027 cycle.

In the previous edition of the IPL, many players, including Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel, and Mohammad Siraj, had expressed their dissatisfaction with this regulation.

On a cricket podcast, namely Club Prairie Fire, Rohit Sharma showed his disapproval towards the impact player rule. He said that the impact player rule can hamper the games of many Indian all-rounders, including Washington Sundar and Shivam Dubey.

In 2024, ahead of the Royal Challengers Bangalore match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohammad Siraj also criticized the impact of player regulation.

"Please remove this Impact player thing. Already the wickets are flat, and there's nothing for the bowlers in it. Previously the game used to slow down after a fall of wicket during the power play, but now the batters come out swinging at absolutely everything," he said. 

As the countdown to IPL 2025 begins, the teams' decisions regarding player retention and other strategies will remain crucial in shaping their journey towards success. As franchises finalise their strategies, cricket enthusiasts eagerly anticipate a dynamic tournament that will captivate audiences worldwide.

The list of retained and released players of all the 10 teams will be announced after 4:30 p.m. on October 31.

The IPL 2025 Retention announcement will be telecast on the Star Sports and Sports18 channels.

The IPL 2025 Retention announcement will be live streamed on the JioCinema app and website.