BCCI, IPL team owners to meet in Ahmedabad to discuss ‘league’s future’

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written to all 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) owners for a meeting scheduled to take place in Ahmedabad on April 16. On that day, the home side Gujarat Titans will host Delhi Capitals at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Although the agenda behind this meeting is unclear, the latest reports suggest it’s to discuss the future of the cash-rich league considering next year’s mega auction.

The IPL team owners will be accompanied by their CEOs and operational teams to address significant issues surrounding IPL’s future. BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah and IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal will also attend the meeting.

As per the sources, several policy-related decisions concerning the mega-auction scheduled next year will be part of the discussion.

"They will discuss the way forward for the IPL," said a source familiar with the matter.

The reports add that deciding the number of players to be retained will remain the focal point, with BCCI wanting every party involved to be on the same page. Several team owners want the number of retentions to be increased since most teams have established their name, brand and fan base.

While one group of owners is asking the board to agree on eight retentions going forward, the others are opposing it, asking for the number to be lower than that, putting them in a better position to go for the players listed in the auction.

Right to Match card to return

In a boost to all IPL teams, irrespective of whether the BCCI agrees on increasing the number of retentions, there are talks of reintroducing the Right to Match Card in the upcoming mega auction, which was missing from the last one held in 2022.

During that time, only three Indians and one overseas player were part of this scheme.

Besides, the budget limit for each team (the cap is INR 100 crore) to be allotted will also be part of it, which, per reports, will be raised from next year onwards.