New Teams Lucknow and Ahmedabad will get 3 early picks ahead of the new season. Old teams can keep 4 players in the build-up to the IPL 2022 auction.
Company Pte Limited (CVC Capital) and RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group shelled out a combined Rs 12,715 crore to acquire the two new teams for the 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As per the recent developments, the newly furnished Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchise will be allowed three early picks for the forthcoming season of the cash-rich league.
All 8 old franchises can reportedly keep four players ahead of the 2022 auction. The two new teams have been added for the IPL 2022 season which will comprise 10 teams. The 15th edition of the cash-rich league will also have 74 matches and each team can play seven home and seven away matches.
If the two new franchises are allowed to pick only from the group of players not retained by the other eight, then a player-draft system is likely to be put in place.
The IPL had held a player draft ahead of the 2016 season after two new teams - Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions - replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two seasons while they served suspensions in the aftermath of the 2013 spot-fixing case. Back then, Supergiants got the first pick - which was Super Kings' captain MS Dhoni - on the basis of the franchise having made the largest bid during the auction for the two new franchises.
With regards to retentions, the final choice will remain with the player: does he want to be retained or does he want to go back into the auction pool. That choice might be guided by wanting a change of franchise or if he believes he can earn a better paycheck at the auction.
While the IPL is yet to announce the details and rules, the deadline for retaining players is likely to be the end of November.
IF a franchise retained the maximum of three players before the auction, the deductions from the salary cap were: INR 15 crore for the first player, INR 11 crore for the second, and INR 7 crore for the third - unless a player's exiting salary was already higher than the cap, as was the case with Virat Kohli, who was paid INR 17 crore by RCB.
If only two players were retained, then the first was bought back at INR 12.5 crore and the second at INR 8.5 crore. If only one player was retained, then franchise would lose INR 12.5 crore from their purse. Back then, the IPL had also stipulated a salary cap of INR 3 crore for an uncapped player retained.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council are yet to reveal the official dates for the players' auction for the 15th season. According to the report, teams will have an enhanced purse for the new season. Teams are expected to have INR 90 crore (USD 12 million approx.) in their purse for the IPL 2022 auction.