IPL Mega Auction: Could a ₹40 Crore Retention Demand Reshape Franchise Plans?
With the next Indian Premier League mega auction on the horizon, franchises may be preparing for a more complicated challenge than simply deciding which players to retain. Some of the league’s biggest names are reportedly seeking retention deals worth as much as ₹40 crore, a figure that could force teams to rethink how they balance star power, squad depth and auction spending.
Trade discussions ahead of the upcoming mini auction have already proved difficult. The stakes are likely to rise further when teams begin planning for the next IPL cycle, particularly if leading players decide that entering the auction offers a better financial opportunity than agreeing to stay with their current franchises.
Top players may test the market
According to Cricbuzz, at least a couple of high-profile players have told their franchises they would consider staying only if they receive around ₹40 crore. Other marquee cricketers could make similar demands, especially if they believe the open auction would attract competing bids and deliver a larger contract.
In at least one reported case, the requested amount is understood to be tied not only to a player’s performance but also to the prospect of serving as captain. That adds another dimension to retention negotiations: franchises may be weighing the value of securing a proven leader alongside the cost of committing a significant share of their budget to one player.
There is a recent precedent for star players declining retention and putting their value to the test. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant entered the 2025 mega auction after not being retained by their previous teams. Iyer secured a contract worth ₹26.75 crore, while Pant was bought for ₹27 crore. Their deals showed how far bidding can rise when multiple franchises compete for a player viewed as central to their plans.
A ₹40 crore demand would be a substantial jump from those figures. But the comparison needs context: the total auction purse is expected to be larger for the next mega auction, potentially changing how teams assess the cost of retaining a superstar.
What a ₹150 crore purse could mean
The overall purse has expanded significantly since the IPL began in 2008, when each franchise had ₹20 crore available. It rose to ₹60 crore in 2014, ₹80 crore in 2018, ₹90 crore in 2022 and ₹120 crore for the 2025 mega auction. The purse has since increased to ₹130 crore for the 2027 season.
No formal discussions have reportedly taken place on the next mega-auction purse. However, based on the pattern of periodic increases, a figure of around ₹150 crore is considered possible. That remains an expectation, not a confirmed amount, and the final number will depend on decisions by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), among other factors.
If the purse reaches ₹150 crore, a ₹40 crore contract would account for slightly more than a quarter of a franchise’s total budget. That is a major investment, but it would not automatically be impossible. Teams would need to judge whether one player’s impact justifies the cost—and whether enough money would remain to build a competitive supporting squad.
The purse has traditionally been linked to the value of the IPL’s media rights. With the next rights cycle due to go on sale next year, a rise in the auction budget may be part of the wider financial picture. Still, until the BCCI confirms the purse, any projection should be treated as informed expectation rather than a settled figure.
Retention slabs could shape the final price
The amount a player receives and the amount deducted from a franchise’s auction purse are not always the same. Under the retention rules used for the previous mega auction, the prescribed slabs were ₹18 crore, ₹14 crore and ₹11 crore. Franchises could pay more than those amounts, provided they declared the actual sums.
That flexibility helped accommodate deals such as Heinrich Klaasen’s reported ₹23 crore retention and Nicholas Pooran’s ₹21 crore arrangement. However, the rules also set a minimum purse deduction based on the number of players retained. A team retaining five players had ₹75 crore deducted from its purse, regardless of whether the players’ combined payments were lower. If their combined amount exceeded ₹75 crore, the higher actual figure was deducted.
The BCCI’s retention framework for the next cycle will therefore be crucial. A revised set of slabs, a different deduction formula or changes to the number of players teams may keep could all affect whether a ₹40 crore deal is practical. Franchises will also need to consider how many other core players they want to protect before the auction.
Could Right to Match replace retention?
Before the previous mega auction, there was a proposal to remove the traditional retention system and rely entirely on Right to Match (RTM) options. Under RTM, a franchise can match an auction bid to bring back a player, allowing the bidding process to help establish the price.
Supporters of the idea argued that it could prevent teams from having to commit unusually large sums before the auction. But critics raised a different concern: if other franchises know a team has an RTM option, they could bid aggressively, pushing up the price before the original team decides whether to match it. The final figure might therefore reflect auction tactics as much as a player’s underlying market value.
Removing retention altogether could also be difficult. The system has been part of the IPL’s structure since the league’s early years, giving franchises a way to preserve continuity and maintain a connection with their most recognisable players.
Prediction: star power will come at a premium
Whether ₹40 crore retentions become common will depend on the confirmed purse, the BCCI’s rules and each team’s squad-building priorities. Lucknow Super Giants, for example, were able to bid up to ₹27 crore for Pant at the 2025 auction because they had managed their finances to make that pursuit possible. Iyer’s final price of ₹26.75 crore offered another indication of the premium franchises may place on elite players.
For the next cycle, a larger purse could make even higher contracts conceivable. But that does not mean every franchise will be willing to pay them. Teams with several marquee players may have to choose between retaining one superstar at a premium and spreading their resources across a deeper group of match-winners.
The most important prediction is that retention talks are likely to become increasingly strategic. Players will weigh loyalty, leadership opportunities and guaranteed income against the uncertainty—and potential reward—of the auction. Franchises, meanwhile, will have to calculate not just what a star is worth, but what they might give up elsewhere to keep that player. Until the purse and retention rules are confirmed, ₹40 crore remains a reported demand rather than a settled IPL price. But it signals how dramatically the economics of cricket’s biggest T20 league may be changing.
