The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises appear divided on whether a mega auction should be held ahead of the next season.
In a long meeting with the BCCI office-bearers that lasted for more than a couple of hours on Wednesday evening, some franchises apparently argued against having a mega auction and insisted on having more player retention instead.
While nine franchise owners, including Shah Rukh Khan, attended the meeting in person, the Ambanis, who own Mumbai Indians, joined in via video conferencing from Paris. Some franchise officials had ‘healthy discussions’ about the road ahead with Delhi Capitals’ co-owner Parth Jindal confirming that he was in favour of having a mega auction as it makes the tournament ‘competitive’. “
“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,” Jindal said. “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.”
As per the existing rule, the franchises are allowed to retain up to four players, and every three years, a mega auction is held to ensure a bigger pool for teams. “Everyone gave their views, and they had their opinions. At the end of the day, you have to look at all the stakeholders and do what’s best for all. That’s most important. It’s the biggest league in the world and we need to ensure we keep the bar high,” Ness Wadia, the co-owner of Punjab Kings, told Sportstar.
Sportstar understands that at least three franchises batted for continuity. In a statement, Sunrisers’ owner Kavya Maran said, “It takes a lot of time to build a squad and as discussed it also takes quite a bit of time and investment for the younger players to mature. It has taken Abhishek Sharma three years to become consistent with his performances. You would agree that there are many such examples in other teams too.”
Discussions on Impact Player
The franchises also put forward their points on the Impact Player rule, and eventually, it will be up to the BCCI to decide on the future course of action and inform the franchises by the end of August. Jindal was not in favour of the rule. “Some people want it because it gives a chance to young players to play in the IPL. Some people don’t want it because it is detrimental to Indian cricket in terms of the development of all-rounders. So, it’s a mixed bag and I’m in the second camp. I don’t want it,” Jindal said, adding: “I prefer the game as it is, 11 vs 11…”
The BCCI secretary Jay Shah told reporters that they heard all the franchises and the Board will deliberate all the issues and finalise the plan of action in the next few weeks. “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 said.
Overseas players issue
The regular availability of the overseas players for the next three-year cycle was also up for discussion.
In the last edition of the tournament, the franchises were livid as England’s T20 World Cup-bound cricketers were asked by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to skip the playoffs due to national commitments. While the BCCI did make a last-ditch effort to convince the ECB to rethink its decision, the latter held its ground, forcing the franchises to look for contingency plans.
The Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals are in favour of having a mega auction ahead of next year’s IPL. | Photo Credit: Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY / The Hindu
Though the IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal had termed the whole incident ‘unfortunate’ and had assured that such situations won’t arise in the future, several franchises requested the BCCI to take a firm stand on the issue to avoid such instances going forward.
“We discussed all the factors, but we also need to understand that overseas players are very much part of the IPL ecosystem, so we need to look at all the factors before taking any step,” said Wadia. “We can’t just ask for random actions. We need to find a solution and work accordingly…”
Wadia rubbishes argument with SRK
As the meeting got underway, reports emerged that Wadia and Shah Rukh got involved in a heated argument over whether to have a mega auction or go for a smaller auction for at least next season. However, Wadia cleared the air, saying there was no truth to it. “I have known Shah Rukh much before the IPL started. I know his family and I have the utmost regard for him and the family. We go back a long way and there’s absolutely no truth to such baseless reports,” Wadia clarified.
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