(Source X)
Kavya Maran, the CEO of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has advocated for the removal of restrictions on the number of foreign players franchises can retain in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction set for 2025.
Maran proposed that every IPL team should have the flexibility to retain a minimum of six players or exercise six Right to Match (RTM) options during the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.
SRH CEO Kavya Maran suggests up to six retentions or RTMs for IPL 2025 Mega Auction teams.
In a meeting held on Wednesday, July 31, between IPL team owners and BCCI officials, Maran emphasized the significance of allowing each team the flexibility to retain their key players or match bids for them leading up to the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Kavya Maran was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “We can use it as four retentions and two RTMS, or all six retentions, or all six RTMS, and so on. The choice on whether a retention or RTM is used should be with the franchise based on discussions with the player.”
The CEO of SRH highlighted that players frequently opt to enter the IPL auction when they deem their retention offer inadequate. Additionally, there have been instances where players, anticipating being among the top retentions, have requested to be placed in the auction if they were not prioritized accordingly.
To tackle this issue, Maran proposed giving players the choice to either be retained or granted a Right to Match (RTM) at their market value. She added, “To avoid such situations, we can give the players the chance to either be retained or RTM at the market discovered price, ensuring that the player is not disgruntled about the retention price.”
Kavya Maran advocates for lifting foreign player retention cap before IPL 2025 Auction.
Meanwhile, Kavya Maran strongly advocates for the removal of restrictions on retaining foreign players by the IPL Governing Council and the BCCI. In the previous season, teams were limited to retaining a maximum of two foreign players.
Maran justified her proposal by pointing out that each team possesses a distinct composition and strengths. Some teams heavily rely on foreign players, while others boast a stronger mix of capped and uncapped Indian players. For instance, Maran’s SRH team leans significantly on its formidable group of overseas players. Therefore, she suggested that franchises should have the autonomy to decide how many foreign, capped, or uncapped players they retain based on their specific requirements and strategic considerations.
Furthermore, Maran emphasized that retired players should not be classified as uncapped players, contrasting her viewpoint with the example of the legendary MS Dhoni.
Maran said at the meeting: “Each team is built differently, and the core strengths of various squads are different. Some have strong overseas players, some have strong capped Indian players, and some have strong uncapped players. In our case, we have a strong core of overseas players.
The number of capped/uncapped/overseas players retained should be at the discretion of the franchise and not restricted. For example, we can retain four overseas and two capped Indians or three overseas and three uncapped Indians and so on.”
