The puzzle over the number of retentions ahead of the big Indian Premier League (IPL) auction and the amount of auction purse is likely to be resolved during a crucial meeting of all the key stakeholders, including the team owners, here on Tuesday afternoon.
On the advice of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has convened a meeting of the IPL governing council members and all eight team owners at a suburban hotel to thrash out the finer details.
Read: IPL franchises keen for ‘right to match’ card
Sportstar understands that at least two teams, including a former champion, are averse to player retentions being allowed. Instead, they would press for “right to match” cards, a method that was used at the last big auction in 2014 in addition to player retention. However, at least three teams will press for player retention, considering the brand of their teams revolves around a star individual.
The retention process has become even more complex with the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after serving a two-year suspension. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla is likely to propose holding a marquee player draft, similar to the one that was held at the time of the inception of Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions ahead of the 2016 edition. It would be interesting to see if the team owners would agree for the former CSK and RR stars to head back to the respective dens.
Besides, auction purse is also likely to be a bone of contention. Sportstar understands that some of the top players, especially Indians, have been pressing for higher fees whereas the franchises are averse to shelling out big bucks. For the last three years, the IPL has adopted a five per cent rise in the cap for player fees. As a result, the squad fee was capped at ₹66 crore for the 2017 edition.
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