Despite the fact that IPL franchise like CSK who were overjoyed with the policy of retaining as they would have the possibility of retaining MS Dhoni going into the gala auction ahead of the IPL 2018, the Governing Council’s proposal to allow franchises to retain 1 Indian player and 2 foreign players hasn’t been pleasing for some of the franchises.
The proposal has in fact divided the franchises into groups. While some favoring the retention, others feel that it destroys the whole purpose of calling it the ‘mega auction’ where all the star players would return to the pool for a fresh auction.
Speaking to CricketNext, an official of one of the franchises in the last edition of the IPL said that the idea of retention would kill the whole idea of a fresh start which states that all the players would go into the pool. He said, “We are not too convinced with the idea because retention kills the chances of the big names being available for auction. If retention is applicable even in the mega auction, then what sort of a fresh auction is it? We will surely bring this matter up with others owners and the GC during the workshop. As of now, we would like to believe that the old decision stands and all players will be available at the auction.”
But an official of one of the IPL-winning teams brought up the fact that the league is as much about cricket as it is about fan loyalty. He said, “An integral part of the IPL is creating fan base and loyalty among fans in the different cities. To be fair, Gambhir means KKR just like Kohli means RCB or say Rohit Sharma means Mumbai Indians. While the number of retentions can surely be worked out, a couple would actually help keep the fan base intact.”
On Tuesday, the GC in its meeting gave a proposal of allowing franchisees to retain at least 3 players going into the 11th edition of the tournament. Talking about the same, IPL GC member said, “We are going to propose minimum 3 retentions – 1 Indian and 2 foreigners. The players, who played for Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions in the last two years can be retained by Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. We will place it in front of owners during a workshop next month.”
It will be interesting to the final decision comes out as successful teams over the last 10 editions of the league would definitely want to keep star players as intact as possible, while the lower ranked franchisees would surely want a completely fresh start in the 11th edition.
