IPL Mega Auction 2025: Top 3 reasons why 8 retentions could backfire

The mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has gained the limelight for various reasons. As per reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning on having a meeting with all the franchise owners to discuss various topics like Right to Match (RTM), retentions, and total purse amount ahead of the mega auction 2025. Since the opinions of different franchises aren't matching, BCCI's decision to hold a meeting later this month seems fair. 

Moreover, the retention policy might change from three retentions per team to eight retentions per team. While some owners are in favour of the retention policy, some are opposing it. Since this topic is quite debatable, there are varied reasons that can be explored by the owners. 

Let's discuss three reasons why 8 retentions ahead of the IPL mega auction 2025 will not be the right move:

1. Almost all the major players will get retained in each franchise 

The first issue with the eight retentions policy is that all the star players of each franchise will get retained and the others will not get a chance to have them in their teams. This is a huge loss for all the teams as the options will become limited and they'll have to deal with some basic players and fill in the squad. This doesn't seem fair to the teams in general as everybody deserves to have some great players in the team. 

2. Several IPL teams require a complete overhaul of their teams

There are several teams like PBKS, DC, and RCB who lack quality bowlers in their unit. Even though the batting unit is all set, the bowling unit seems quite weak in terms of both pacers and spinners. Due to this, the team suffers in the long run. Hence, the mega auction strategy for these teams will be to get some brilliant bowlers in the squad which will help them in the future. The mega auction is a chance for them to repair their team from scratch. 

3. No salary hike for players

One of the major reasons why eight retentions isn't a good move is the salaries of players will remain stagnant. In the case of star players, salary might not be a concern, but when it comes to uncapped players or young players who are just starting their careers, salary is a huge thing and mega auction gives them the stage to earn more. For instance, Rinku Singh was brought by the KKR for Rs 50 lakhs and if he is retained in the longer run, he'll be retained at the same amount which is unfair to him. Similarly, others will also lose a chance to come to the mega auction.