A new development in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction rules has come to light. According to reports from ESPN Cricinfo and Cricbuzz, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) plans to retain South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen for Rs 23 crore, exceeding the Rs 18 crore limit set by the IPL Governing Council for the first retention slot by Rs 5 crore. This adjustment allows franchises to retain players for amounts higher or lower than the designated slabs, as long as the total retained purse remains within the Rs 75 crore cap.
While the IPL stipulates that the first retention is Rs 18 crore, the second is Rs 14 crore, the third is Rs 11 crore, the fourth is Rs 18 crore, the fifth is Rs 14 crore, and uncapped players are set at Rs 4 crore, franchises have the flexibility to allocate their budget as they see fit. For instance, a team can pay more than Rs 18 crore for their first retention and less than Rs 11 crore for their third retention, provided their total for the specified number of players matches the designated amount.
Cricbuzz explains that the retention deduction will be based on the total amount rather than a per-player fee. If the total retention amount exceeds Rs 75 crore, the actual excess will be deducted. Conversely, if the total is less than Rs 75 crore, the full Rs 75 crore will be deducted from the team’s budget.
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This flexibility in distributing the retention fees significantly aids franchises in negotiating amounts for players they wish to keep without affecting the overall designated budget. For example, Kolkata Knight Riders could retain their star players Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for amounts lower than the standard slabs while offering more than Rs 4 crore to uncapped player Harshit Rana.
