India is involved in a series against Sri Lanka. The schedule for the next 6 months involves a series in Australia. The BCCI is busy discussing with the various franchises about the next IPL that is 10 months away. The franchises have placed various demands on the BCCI. It remains to be seen how many does the BCCI take into consideration and how many do they not agree. The IPL discussion. Let me try to analyse the merits of every point raised by the franchises in the IPL discussion.
Mega auction
KKR owner Shahrukh Khan and SRH owner Kavya Maran, both of them are against mega auction that is due next year. They are in favour of holding smaller auctions. Their intention is to retain as many players as possible. It is not surprising considering the fact that both those teams met in the finals of last year’s IPL. However, what they have proposed does not really make any sense. They want to hold on to their players for additional years because of their performance in 2024. It does not provide for a level playing field. Other franchises would have missed out on picking better cricketers because of lack of funds or some other reason. They would not be having a chance to bid for those players if the auction is postponed by a couple of years.
Kavya Maran has given another reasoning for postponing mega auction. Her contention, though, has been that teams need continuity for brand-building and fan engagement.
“It takes a lot of time to build a squad and as discussed it also takes quite a bit of time and investment for the younger players to mature. It has taken Abhishek Sharma three years to become consistent with his performances. You would agree that there are many such examples in other teams too.”
However, Partha Jindal of Delhi Capitals did not agree to too many player retentions.
Impact player
Quite a few franchises have expressed the opinion that the impact player rule must be scrapped. This makes perfect sense. It actually makes mockery of the game. Teams usually plan for the likely players in the opposition. With impact player, you will not know who is going to come in. It is tough to plan for an uncertain outcome. In 2024, the full impact of the impact player was seen. Teams were able to score in excess of 250 regularly. With one more batsman waiting, the openers and the top order were given full freedom to go after the bowling which actually made the bowlers look second-class citizens. This rule must be done away with.
Two years ban on players
Another point worth considering is the late withdrawal of players after they were sold to various franchises. The case of Harry Brook, who withdrew after the auction, though for family reasons, is understandable but there were other withdrawals for apparently no reason at all. The England players were all withdrawn before the playoffs when the franchise were told that they were available for the entire season. Two years ban is sufficient enough. What should happen is that these franchises hold majority stake in other leagues. SA20, ILT20 and the American league. Franchises must ensure that if any player withdraws at the last minute, he must not be allowed to participate in any of the leagues for two years. That will teach them a lesson.
The RTM
This is a draconian rule in the IPL. It was scrapped a few years ago but Shahrukh Khan wants to bring it back. He seems to have hit a jackpot with his hire in 2024 and wants to retain the core if not the entire team. With the RTM, he will be in a position to do so. It is both unfair to the players and to the other franchises. The players will not be able to earn more income whereas the franchises will not have the services of better cricketers. This rule must not be brought back. Several players will be happy to go into the mega auction wich will fetch them higher income. Especially, the ones who have established themselves. This rule will be detrimental to their potential earnings.
Increased purse
This makes sense because franchises are hamstrung because of the meagre purse all these years. If someone is sold for 15-20CR, the franchise will hardly have any left in the bank to make further high profile purchase.
Wrapping up the IPL discussion
Some of the demands raised by the franchises were all legitimate like increased purse, the two years ban but some of them like RTM is draconian. The BCCI will again meet the franchises shortly to discuss the way forward.
The sad part is that none of the franchise spoke about increasing the experience of the fans who throng the stadiums. Indian stadiums are some of the worst to watch the game from. Lack of food, horrible smelling bathrooms, outrageously maintained seats, garbage and various other things make watching from the stadium a chore. It is a pity none of these were discussed.