IPL Auction: BCCI Set to Allow 5 Retentions, Mumbai Indians Likely To Keep Key Players

As IPL 2025 approaches, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will likely allow franchises to retain up to five players without the right-to-match option in the upcoming player auction.

Thus, allowing Mumbai Indians to secure their core lineup, which includes key players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.

What This Means For Mumbai Indians

With the likelihood of five-player retentions, all eyes are now on the Mumbai Indians. Although their core team has remained consistent for over a decade, the franchise’s underwhelming performance under Pandya’s captaincy this past season raises questions about their retention strategy.

Meanwhile, in a recent meeting at BCCI headquarters, discussions with the owners of all ten teams revealed a strong preference for retaining 5-6 players, as this continuity would help maintain the franchises’ brand value. After considering their feedback, the BCCI appears poised to adopt this approach.

But, there is a catch. BCCI still has to finalize the retention costs for the upcoming auction, as in 2022, Mumbai Indians retained four players with Rohit Sharma topping the salary list at ₹16 crore, followed by Jasprit Bumrah (₹12 crore), Suryakumar (₹8 crore), and Kieron Pollard (₹6 crore).

However, given the rising stock of Bumrah and Suryakumar, it will be intriguing to see what figures are agreed upon for their retention.

In the meantime as the BCCI finalizes the number of allowed retentions, anticipation builds for the player auctions.

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During the recent meeting, many long-standing franchises expressed a desire to delay major auctions, advocating for them to occur every four or five years. They cited the importance of retaining key talents in which they have heavily invested.

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