IPL 2025 Mega Auction: The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing body is set to introduce a new rule that could cause concern among many overseas players. There has been growing demand for changes to the rules regarding foreign players for some time now. Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar highlighted the issue when Jos Buttler left Rajasthan Royals just before the IPL 2024 playoffs.
“I am all for players choosing country before anything else, but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises. The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the player was bought for, but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 per cent commission of the fee that each player gets,” Gavaskar said.
IPL 2025 Mega Auction: New Rules for foreign players
The IPL is set to introduce a new rule concerning the availability of overseas players. Under this rule, any player withdrawing from the tournament without a legitimate reason could face a two-year ban from the IPL.
It has been reported that the franchises made a special request to the IPL governing council to take action against such players and implement a rule that serves as a strong deterrent. In the past, players have pulled out of the tournament, leaving franchises in difficult positions. During an official statement, IPL said:
“Any [overseas] player who registers for [an] auction and, after getting picked at the auction, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season will get banned from participating in the IPL/IPL auction for two seasons.” The only exception, the governing council said, will be for “an injury/medical condition, which will have to be confirmed by the [player’s] home board”.
New rule for Overseas players registering for Auction
The IPL has also introduced another rule to further deter players. According to this rule, any overseas player who does not register for the IPL 2025 Mega Auction will be barred from participating in the subsequent IPL mini-auction.
This rule aims to discourage players from bypassing the mega auction in hopes of securing a higher price during the mini auction when franchises are more eager to spend big to bolster their squads.
For instance, during the 2023 IPL Mini Auction, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad set IPL auction records by acquiring Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, respectively. Both teams went on to perform exceptionally well, with Kolkata winning the IPL 2024 and Hyderabad finishing as runners-up.
“Any overseas player will have to register for the big auction. In case the player does not register, then he will have to miss the subsequent small auction. Only exception will be in case of an injury/medical condition which will have to be confirmed by the [player’s] home board before the big auction.”
