(BCCI Photo)
The highly anticipated gathering between IPL franchise owners and the BCCI convened in Mumbai on Wednesday, focusing heavily on the upcoming mega auction. Lasting over two hours, the discussions primarily centered around the preference among most teams for increased player retentions and a scaled-down auction format, differing from the originally planned mega auction set for the 2025 season of the lucrative league.
Reports suggest that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) advocated for an increase in player retentions during the discussions, while teams like Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) expressed satisfaction with proceeding as planned with the mega auction.
Following the meeting, DC co-owner Parth Jindal, accompanied by co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi, addressed the media and appeared taken aback by the extent of the deliberation on the matter.
“I was surprised that there was a debate. Some people said that there should not be a mega auction at all and that there should be only smaller auctions. But I’m not in that camp. I feel that it evens the playing field and it’s very good for everyone. It makes the IPL what it is. It makes it competitive,” says Jindal said.
Additionally, he conveyed that the Delhi Capitals camp opposes the Impact Player rule, citing concerns over its potential impact on the development of all-rounders.
Meanwhile, Ness Wadia, co-owner of Punjab Kings (PBKS), kept details of the meeting under wraps, describing it as a productive “brainstorming session” where all stakeholders shared their perspectives on various issues.
“I am not going to say that… everyone gave their views and everyone gave their opinions. Like I said, you have to look at all stakeholders. It was a very good brainstorming session…. our objective is that fans are happier, media is happier, cricketers are happier. That’s why we were here. Impact player, capped, uncapped player everything was discussed,” says Wadia.
BCCI to take final call in a week
The upcoming decision from the Indian cricket board hinges on the feedback provided by the teams during the session. BCCI secretary Jay Shah assured that the franchises can expect clarity on the matter within a week.
“The retention issue, the RTM issue and all other aspects were discussed. We will let the franchises know about our decision in a week’s time,” Shah tells reporters after the long meeting.
The BCCI had previously announced that the recommendations would be presented to the IPL Governing Council, led by Chairman Arun Dhumal, for thorough review and assessment.
“The BCCI will now take these recommendations to the IPL Governing Council for further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations,” read a media advisory.
In addition to Grandhi, Jindal, and Wadia, the meeting was attended by Shah Rukh Khan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Sanjiv Goenka (Lucknow Super Giants), Rupa Gurunath (Chennai Super Kings), Manoj Badale (Rajasthan Royals), and Prathmesh Mishra (Royal Challengers Bengaluru). Mumbai Indians participated in the meeting virtually.
