Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals' struggle to retain players for IPL 2018

The players of Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions are extinct now.

Fans want to see Dhoni donning the CSK jersey again | Getty

With the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises, there are plenty of speculations going on in the media concerning the players’ retention, matching cards and salary cap. There hasn’t been any regulation put in place yet, but all the important decisions are expected to take place during the IPL governing council meeting with the Committee of Administrators (CoA) member in New Delhi on December 4 (Wednesday).

As per the reports in TOI, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are looking to ensure a level playing field with all the eight franchises need to be on the same platform. However, it has been understood that leading up to Wednesday's meeting, executives at one franchise, in particular, are "pushing hard" to make sure that Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings do not get to retain any players.

See More: Chennai Super Kings asks BCCI for draft system at IPL auction

Later last month, the IPL authorities had a meet up with franchise owners from where the reports in the media had cropped up that the teams could be allowed to retain two players and be extended two right-to-match cards before settling for a fresh auction in February 2018. While the proposal is still to be approved by the governing council, the bickering between franchises continues.

Initially, it was decided that all the cricketers will be put in fresh auction pool but it has been learnt that the teams have shared their thoughts with the IPL authorities calling for a retention policy. Furthermore, there is also the proposal for matching cards, which some consider it as a fair policy.

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In September, the BCCI announced a new television-rights deal worth nearly £2 billion for the for the five-year period (2018-2022) which meant that the teams will earn approximately Rs 150-180 crore. Moreover, the salary cap which currently is Rs. 66 crore could go up to Rs. 75 crore or even more.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 05 Dec, 2017

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