The Indian Premier League (IPL) is gearing up for a mega auction later this year in preparation for the 2025 season, as franchises look to overhaul their squads. The last mega auction occurred in 2022, and with the three-season cycle now complete, most players will re-enter the auction pool, offering a fresh start for all teams.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has solicited suggestions from IPL owners for proposed changes ahead of a meeting later this month at the BCCI office in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
One of the key questions is the likely player purse for teams at the IPL 2025 mega auction. According to reports, franchises have suggested that the salary of a player bought at a certain price in the auction should increase significantly if they perform well in upcoming seasons. For instance, a player acquired for around 40 lakhs could see their value rise to crores with a strong performance in the IPL 2025 season.
“The current system doesn’t allow for a player’s salary to be increased by a franchise once he’s bought in the IPL auction. Like most jobs, there’s no provision for increment. Suppose he’s bought for Rs 30 lakh and has an outstanding IPL; the franchise should have the option of offering him, say, a Rs 3 crore fresh contract for the next year, rather than lose him to another team. This will prevent poaching by other teams,” an official told TOI.
Allowing franchises to renegotiate the salaries of high-performing players would enable teams to retain their best players from the previous season without the fear of losing them to other teams. This system would make players happy with the increased earnings and help franchises avoid poaching.
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Additionally, there have been suggestions to increase the player purse for IPL 2025. Some franchise owners have proposed to IPL CEO Hemang Amin and BCCI officials that the salary cap for each team be increased significantly, from Rs 90 crores to approximately Rs 130-140 crores.
“The salary cap for each team is set to witness a massive increase—from Rs 90 crores to around Rs 130-140 crores,” according to a TOI report. “This has been pending for a while. The salary cap is likely to be increased from Rs 90 crores to Rs 130-140 crores. As per the media rights agreement in 2022, IPL 2025 and 2026 will see 84 matches, while IPL 2027 will include 94 matches. This means more matches with little gap between them. The players are bound to ask for and expect more money,” the source added.
The final decision will be made after the meeting between BCCI officials and franchise owners at the end of this month.