IPL franchises urge two-year ban on foreign players for pulling out of season without legitimate cause

All ten IPL franchises might have had different opinions on the players’ retentions and the Right to Match (RTM) policies discussed during the latest meet in Mumbai but have each others' backs for asking the IPL council to impose a two-year ban on the overseas players for pulling out of a season without a legitimate cause.

Besides, the participating teams have urged the IPL to make it compulsory for foreign players to register for the mega auctions and not enter the mini-auctions expecting potentially massive price tags.

Given how they form strategies by keeping the overseas and top foreign players in mind, the teams have been forced to make last-minute changes, with players opting out of the season citing personal issues.

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Although all teams admitted to being understanding behind such pullouts due to international commitments, injuries, or family-related issues, they were firm on IPL punishing the players if reasons were outside these. Per the latest reports, the franchises are okay with making these allowances as long as there is clarity around their availability for the coming season during the auction.

Going by the discussion, there have been instances of the players pulling out of the season because of their purchase price (base price); per the report. An example was also shared during the meeting when one of the team owners revealed the manager of an unnamed overseas player did say that the particular player could been available had he been paid more.

Skipping mega auction for mini

Considering the limitation of the top-tier talent available for the mini auctions, several first-team players strategically avoid registering for the mega auctions. Instead, they enter their names for the mini, knowing the money flow would be huge.

Citing an example, in the last mega auction in 2022, Ishan Kishan was the highest-earningplayer, with Mumbai Indians (MI) spending $2.03m (INR 15.25 crore), while in the last mini-auction, the pace Aussie duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins broke all records.

While SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought Cummins for $2.47m (INR 20.50 crore), Kolkata Knight Riders – the eventual winners of IPL 2024, bagged Starc’s services for a whopping $2.98m (INR 24.75 crore).

Considering some players and their managers have gotten away with this tactic, the teams want IPL to put them into place by bringing in stricter rules from the upcoming auction onwards.

The reports also claim that the franchises admitted understanding if it’s about a new or emerging player registering his name for the mini-auction, but for the regular overseas players, they can only enter their names in the mega auction. In case they were unsold there, they could not enter the mini-auction the following season.

(With inputs from agencies)