A mega auction will be organized before the 18th season of IPL and all the franchises will be allowed to retain only a few players. In this way, bids can be seen on many big players in the mega auction this time. However, most of the franchise owners want the BCCI to cancel the auction this time and keep the mini auction. But no decision has been taken by the board to cancel the auction yet.
On July 31, a meeting of BCCI and franchise owners was also held in Mumbai. During that time also, the owners of many major teams had proposed to the board to conduct a mini auction, because they do not want to see the balance of their team getting disturbed. In this article, we will mention those 3 franchises, who will benefit the most if the IPL 2025 mega auction is cancelled.
Table of Contents
These 3 teams will be happy if IPL 2025 mega auction is cancelled
1. Mumbai Indians
The performance of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 was the most shameful. MI was able to win only 4 out of 14 matches and finished last in the points table. However, despite this, the Mumbai team would like the auction to be cancelled because the combination of its team is very good. The team has many big players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Tim David. If even one of these players comes up for sale in the auction, then there will be a competition among all the franchises to buy him.
2. Kolkata Knight Riders
The owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan also wants the BCCI not to conduct the mega auction. For this, he also put forward his opinion in front of the board. KKR won the title of IPL 2024 and the team dominated its opponents throughout the season. The KKR team now does not want to lose its match winners.
Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran also attended the BCCI meeting on 31 July. She was also in favor of cancelling the auction. Her team made it to the finals with a tremendous performance in IPL 2024. Although Hyderabad missed out on winning the trophy, all the fans were happy with the way the team played throughout the season. The franchise wants the team to take the field with the same players in the upcoming season as well. If the mega auction takes place, many prominent players of Hyderabad will also leave the team.
England Test team captain Ben Stokes is going to return to franchise cricket. He can play for the team associated with Mumbai Indians. Ben Stokes was focusing only on Test cricket for a long time and due to this he also withdrew his name from IPL, but now he can be seen playing again in the major T20 league.
Ben Stokes last played in the IPL in the 2023 season. He was part of the Chennai Super Kings team. After that he decided not to play in IPL 2024. Stokes said that he wants to focus on Test cricket and that is why he distanced himself from franchise cricket.
However, now Ben Stokes is making a comeback in T20 leagues. According to reports, Ben Stokes can be seen playing in the next season of South Africa T20 League. He can play for MI Cape Town in this league, which is a part of Mumbai Indians franchise.
If Ben Stokes plays in the South Africa T20 League, then it can also be speculated that he can also return to the IPL. There is a lot of demand for a player like Ben in the IPL, who can contribute in all three departments. In such a situation, he can come back to play in the world’s biggest T20 league. Due to the mega auction, many teams may show interest in buying him.
Dinesh Karthik will also be seen playing in the South Africa T20 League. Karthik has been signed by the Paarl Royals team in the South Africa T20 League. With this, Dinesh Karthik has become the first player from India to take part in the South Africa T20 League. Dinesh Karthik had retired from all formats of cricket but he is going to make a comeback once again.
There is a lot of discussion going on about the IPL 2025 auction at this time. There is a lot of talk about who will be retained and who will be released. All the teams may have to release many of their best players this time, because this time there is a mega auction of IPL. At the same time, there are some players who can return to IPL again.
Many times some players go unsold in some seasons but they return in the next season. At the same time, some players themselves withdraw their names from one or two seasons and are seen playing again. In this article, we will tell you about the 3 players who can be seen playing again in IPL 2025 from different franchises.
Table of Contents
3 Players Who Could Return in IPL 2025
1. Steve Smith
Steve Smith
Steve Smith has been one of the legendary players of IPL but he also remained unsold during the IPL 2024 auction. This surprised everyone. After remaining unsold in IPL, Steve Smith played the role of commentary. He has also captained Rajasthan Royals in IPL. If Smith gives his name in this auction, then he can definitely be sold and can be seen playing next season.
2. Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan
Young batter Sarfaraz Khan has played many seasons in IPL so far. He has played in IPL for many teams. However, he did not get any buyer last season. Sarfaraz Khan remained unsold. This time, due to the mega auction, some team can buy him and he can be seen playing again.
During IPL 2023, Ben Stokes was included in the team of Chennai Super Kings for a huge amount. However, he could not play many matches that season and withdrew his name from the next season. The news is that Stokes will play for MI Cape Town in the South Africa T20 League and due to this, he is expected to play in the IPL as well.
England has reportedly declined Pakistan’s request to host the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 playoffs. According to Cricket Pakistan, PSL franchises were concerned about the costs, leading to an assurance that an official would be sent to England to assess the situation. However, England has denied the request due to unavailability of grounds, noting that the PSL will overlap with the IPL 2024, in which many England players are expected to participate.
As per the report, England has rejected the request to host the playoffs and the final. Pakistan is now considering asking the UAE to host the matches. The UAE has been Pakistan’s first choice for multiple tournaments, including international tours, as a neutral venue.
PSL franchises have already expressed their concern over PSL 2025 overlapping with the IPL. Teams fear that players will prioritize the Indian league over the PSL. PSL 2025 is scheduled to take place between April 10 and May 25. Earlier, various teams raised concerns in a joint letter, demanding a Governing Council to address the issues. The letter highlights concerns over the dates of the PSL, which is set to follow the Champions Trophy 2025.
Team owners are skeptical about the commercial viability of clashing with the IPL. The letter also addresses the feasibility of holding four matches of the tournament outside Pakistan, requesting detailed costs and potential advantages of the move.
A recent meeting between the IPL and the owners of the ten franchises discussed the retention rules ahead of the 2025 auction, specifically whether cricketers retired for five years should be considered at par with uncapped players. This rule, which existed from 2008 but was scrapped in 2021, had never been used.
When reintroduced, several franchises, including Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner Kavya Maran, objected. Maran argued that retaining retired players as uncapped would disrespect their value, suggesting instead that these players be part of the auction to let the market decide their price.
At least one other franchise also expressed reservations. ESPNcricinfo had reported that the suggestion came from CSK, speculating it could be used to retain MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, Dhoni was retained by CSK for INR 12 crore, while uncapped players cost INR 4 crore.
Dhoni’s future in the IPL remains uncertain, with decisions pending the finalization of retention rules. After knee surgery in 2023, Dhoni handed over CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad and played a limited role.
Franchises unanimously agreed that Indian players who had not played international cricket for five years should be allowed to lower their base prices at the auction. Currently, the lowest base price for capped Indian players is INR 50 lakh. IPL COO Hemang Amin suggested that a lower base price would increase these players’ chances of being bought at the auction, as many have gone unsold despite multiple entries.
The Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s wealthiest T20 tournament, is poised for a new phase with the 2025 cycle. Although the official schedule for the IPL 2025 auction remains unconfirmed, reports suggest that franchises are proposing several changes for the upcoming edition.
An ESPN Cricinfo report indicates that franchises are advocating for a complete two-year ban on overseas players who withdraw from the tournament without a clear reason. The teams argue that there have been instances where players have left mid-season after being acquired in the auction.
Additionally, team owners are demanding that overseas players be required to register for the mega auction. Many players currently skip the mega auction in favor of the mini auction to secure higher bids.
The report highlights that franchises are concerned about the negative impact on team performance due to the untimely and unreasonable mid-season withdrawal of players. However, the proposed two-year ban would exclude cases of injuries, other global commitments, and family issues.
In the most recent mini auction, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins made headlines as the most expensive buys in IPL history. Starc was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore, while Cummins was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.50 crore.
The meeting between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials and the owners of IPL franchises took place on Wednesday, where various discussions and demands were exchanged ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, set to occur later this year.
Kavya Kalanithi Maran, the CEO of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and finalists of the IPL 2024 season, presented several proposals regarding player retentions, auction purse, and the frequency of mega auctions.
What were SRH owner Kavya Maran’s demands ahead of IPL 2025 Mega Auction?
Increase player retentions and Right to Match options to SIX According to a Cricbuzz report, one of Maran’s primary demands was to increase player retentions and Right to Match (RTM) options to six ahead of the mega auction.
“There have been numerous instances in the past where a player has preferred to go to the auction when he has felt that the retention amount is on the lower side. There have also been instances where multiple players have felt that they should be the first retention, and if not retained as first, they have asked to be put in the auction instead. To avoid this, we can give the players the chance to either be retained or RTM at the market-discovered price, ensuring that the player is not disgruntled about the retention price,” the SRH CEO said.
Justifying her suggestion to increase retentions to six, Maran added, “If only retentions are allowed, there is a good possibility that franchises will pay their retained players more than the retention value through side contracts. But with RTMs, a player gets the market price in the auction within the restrictions of the purse, and this will ensure that the purse decides and restricts the purchasing power of all franchises and not the bank balance of the franchise. It will also ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of a brand as prestigious as the IPL.”
Remove cap on foreign players that can be retained Maran suggested scrapping the limit on retaining foreign players, which was restricted to two last time, as it affects teams whose core is constructed around foreign players.
“Each team is built differently, and the core strengths of various squads are different. Some have strong overseas players, some have strong capped Indian players, and some strong uncapped players. In our case, we have a strong core of overseas players. The number of capped/uncapped/overseas players retained should be at the discretion of the franchise and not restricted. For example, we can retain four overseas and two capped Indians or three overseas and three uncapped Indians and so on,” she explained.
Ban players who pull out of the tournament and do not show commitment SRH was very upset with Wanindu Hasaranga, who pulled out of IPL 2024 citing injury reasons. The franchise believes he pulled out due to a low bid at the auction of 1.5 crore INR compared to his previous salary of over 10 crore INR with RCB.
“After being selected in the auction, if a player doesn’t come to play the season for any reason apart from injury, he should be banned,” Maran stated.
Many considered SRH’s bid for Hasaranga at the mini auction to be a “steal” as the Sri Lankan allrounder was picked up at such a low price. By him refusing to show up to the tournament, SRH had to forego that advantage.
“The franchises put in a lot of effort into the auction to form their combinations. If a player goes for a low amount in the auction and subsequently doesn’t turn up, it affects the combination and the balance of the side. There have been many instances of overseas players not turning up for this reason,” she added.
BCCI should not decide salary cap of retained players Maran also raised an issue regarding money cut from the franchise’s auction amount based on the number of players retained.
“The money deducted from the overall salary cap for pre-auction retentions must be an overall pot based on the number of players retained and should not be individual amounts for first retention, second retention, and so on.”
The BCCI had set a retention policy stating that the first retained player will have a salary up to 14 crores, the second retention 10 crores, and 7 crores for the third retention, and so on.
“The franchise should have the discretion of how they split the amount among the retained players. This will prevent situations of conflict where players feel that they are of the same calibre but one player gets a higher amount while the other gets a lower amount based on pre-assigned brackets. This will also eliminate the potential for off-contract payments.”
Retired players like MS Dhoni should come to auction and not be treated as uncapped players While she did not take MS Dhoni’s name, it was hinted that retired players such as the former India skipper, who plays for CSK, should not be treated as uncapped players during retention.
“Senior players have immense value in the IPL. They bring experience and some also bring brand value. By restricting their value to the uncapped amount, we are disrespecting the player and his value. Some retired players can go for much more in the auction than being retained as uncapped pre-auction.”
“When new uncapped players get more money in the auction, it sets a wrong precedent to allow senior players to be retained as uncapped. Let the auction dictate the value and calibre of the retired player, thereby respecting their contribution to the game over the years,” she concluded.
During the meeting, it was believed that KKR’s Shah Rukh Khan agreed with several points Kavya Maran had raised.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a plain statement hours after reports of a rift between franchises rocked the IPL 2025 meeting on Wednesday. The owners of all 10 franchises met with BCCI officials at its headquarters in Mumbai to discuss various matters related to the IPL, mainly player retentions and the size of the auction. Some team owners even argued whether an auction was needed at all.
However, a consensus could not be reached as IPL team owners were divided on player retention and auction size. Some franchises, like the Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, wanted eight to ten retentions, while others, like the Delhi Capitals, wanted to stick to the original mega auction format, allowing teams to create a new pool of players every three years.
There was a heated debate between KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan and PBKS owner Ness Wadia on whether to have a mega auction or not.
After all this, BCCI secretary Jay Shah issued a statement, claiming “an organized dialogue” took place between the owners.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday organized a constructive dialogue with the owners of the 10 franchises on various subjects pertaining to the upcoming season of the IPL,” he said in a release.
The franchise owners tabled feedback on player regulations and other commercial aspects, including central merchandising, licensing, and gaming. The BCCI will now take these recommendations to the IPL Governing Council for further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations,” Shah added in the release.
Teams are not likely to be allowed to retain more than five players, with one Right to Match (RTM) card. The RTM card gives a franchise the opportunity to match the final bid of a player from their squad of the previous season.
The BCCI secretary later confirmed to the media that the board will be taking its decisions soon on all the points that were discussed.
Among the team owners or co-owners who attended the meeting were Shah Rukh Khan from Kolkata Knight Riders, Kavya Maran from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ness Wadia from Punjab Kings, Sanjiv Goenka with his son Shashwat from Lucknow Super Giants, KK Grand and Parth Jindal from Delhi Capitals.
Manoj Badale and Ranjit Barthakur from Rajasthan Royals, Prathamesh Mishra from Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kasi Viswanathan and Rupa Gurunath from Chennai Super Kings, Amit Soni from Gujarat Titans while Mumbai Indians’ owners attended it online.
‘No real outcome,’ says DC co-owner Parth Jindal Parth Jindal, the director of JSW Sports which owns the Delhi Capitals, said there was “no real outcome” from the meeting as the teams looked to stick to their opinions on all the matters discussed.
“No real outcome. It was just to hear all the different perspectives from all the owners and the BCCI has heard us and now they will give us all the rules. Hopefully, by the end of August we will get to know the rules for the next cycle,” Jindal told the reporters at the BCCI headquarters. Jindal confirmed there was no consensus among the teams in the context of the number of players they wanted to retain ahead of the mega auction.
“Nothing (on the consensus). Some people want eight to ten, some people want four, some people want six… it’s all up in the air,” he replied.
To make the game of cricket interesting, new rules were implemented from time to time, some of which were supported by everyone while some were opposed. One such rule is that of the impact player, which was implemented in the IPL from the 2023 season. However, this rule has recently garnered a lot of discussion and many prominent players including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have described it as harmful for Indian cricket. At the same time, now Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal has also reacted to this rule and he has also demanded its removal.
Parth Jindal demands removal of impact player rule
On Wednesday, an important meeting was held in Mumbai between the BCCI and the owners of all 10 IPL franchises regarding the mega auction and the league. During this, Parth Jindal talked about removing the impact player rule. According to media reports, Jindal said,
“Some people want it because it gives young players a chance to play in the IPL, some people don’t want it because it is harmful for Indian cricket in terms of preparing all-rounder players. So this rule is mixed. However, I am not in favor of this rule. I like the game because it is between 11-11 players of two teams, and I think all-rounders are very important. You have different players who don’t bowl in the IPL or don’t bat in the IPL because of this rule, which is not good for Indian cricket.”
Delhi Capitals co-owner seen in favor of mega auction
IPL 2024 winner Kolkata Knight Riders and runner-up Sunrisers Hyderabad franchises, along with some others have objected to the mega auction before IPL 2025, but Parth Jindal, the co-owner of Delhi Capitals said it is necessary to keep the league interesting.
He said, “I was surprised that there was a controversy regarding holding a mega auction, some people said that there should be no mega auction and were in favor of a mini auction. I am not in favor of this. I think it gives a level playing field in the game and it is very good for everyone. It makes the IPL competitive and better. However, some team owners do not want this.”
No decision has been taken yet in the meeting between IPL owners and BCCI and all the recommendations will be placed before the governing council of the league. Only after this will any rules be made regarding the players.
There is a lot of discussion about the mega auction of IPL 2025 and in this regard, a meeting of BCCI and all the franchise owners was held in Mumbai on Wednesday. In the meeting, there was to be a discussion on the mega auction, the number of players to be retained, purse value and many other important issues. However, no decision was taken on this, but a report claims that Kolkata Knight Riders franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan and Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia had a very heated debate, which was about the issue of mega auction and retention of players.
Shahrukh Khan and Ness Wadia clashed
According to reports, many franchises want that there should be no mega auction before IPL 2025 and if this happens then they should be allowed to retain players in large numbers. Three-time champion KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan also believed the same, but Ness Wadia, who attended the meeting on behalf of Punjab Kings, opposed it. It is being told that Shah Rukh was talking about retaining a large number of players, but Wadia opposed it and there was a heated debate between the two about this.
Kolkata Knight Riders has a tremendous squad, in which many strong players are present. In such a situation, if the mega auction happens, then many of those players will bid farewell to Kolkata, which Shahrukh Khan does not want. That is why he has demanded more retention. On the other hand, Punjab Kings, which performed poorly in IPL 2024, is eyeing to rebuild its squad. For this reason, Ness Wadia would like to get the option of more players in the auction, so that his team can prepare a good squad.
However, nothing has been decided in the meeting yet regarding the number of players to be retained and the mega auction. In a media release issued by the IPL, it was told that various issues were discussed between the board and the owners of the 10 franchises. The franchise owners have also given some feedback. The BCCI will now take these recommendations to the IPL Governors Council so that it can be further considered before making rules for the players.
