Star Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed strong criticism against the Right to Match (RTM) rule in the IPL auction, calling it the most unfair rule for players. The RTM card previously allowed franchises to match the highest bid for a player they owned in the previous season, thereby retaining him.
Although franchises were previously given two or three RTM cards, the rule was discontinued in the IPL 2022 mega auction to allow new franchises Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants to pick top players from a larger pool. With discussions about player retention limits and the possible reintroduction of the RTM rule ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Ashwin voiced his discontent, arguing that the rule prevents players from realizing their true market value.
“There is no rule more unfair for a player than RTM,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel. He explained the mechanics of the RTM rule using a hypothetical example: “Imagine a player named X, who is currently valued at around ₹5-6 crores and was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad. If Sunrisers want him back, they can use the RTM to match the highest bid from other teams, say ₹6 crores, and take him back. This situation makes Sunrisers happy but leaves other bidding teams, like KKR and Mumbai Indians, dissatisfied. The player, meanwhile, doesn’t get his true value.”
Ashwin further elaborated that providing franchises with three RTM cards would leave players at a disadvantage. “This is very unfair. If Sunrisers bid ₹6.20 crores, and the other team bids ₹6.40 crores, the player should reach his fair value. But RTM prevents this, meaning the player goes virtually empty-handed,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has sought feedback from team owners on the upcoming auction rules, which will be presented to the IPL Governing Council for finalization.