Every three or four years, the IPL hits a reset button called the mega auction. But before franchises wade into that bidding war, they get a crucial head start: the right to retain their star players. Understanding IPL Retentions & Release Rules is essential for any fan who wants to follow squad-building strategy.
In this guide, you will learn exactly how many players a team can keep, what those retention costs against the salary cap, how the Right to Match (RTM) card works, and which retention decisions have shaped IPL history including what every franchise chose ahead of IPL 2026.
What Are IPL Retentions?
IPL retention refers to the official BCCI-governed process that allows franchises to keep a set number of contracted players without putting them through the auction pool. Before each new IPL cycle typically ahead of a mega auction every team submits a retention list, securing chosen players at pre-fixed salary deductions from their total purse.
Think of it as a team’s way of locking in their core identity before the bidding war begins. A franchise that retains Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma does not need to fight other teams for them in the auction but they do pay a predetermined amount for that privilege.
The BCCI issues detailed retention guidelines before every major auction. These rules define the number of slots, the salary slabs for each slot, and whether uncapped players have different cost structures.
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How Many Players Can Each Team Retain?
The retention limits have evolved over different IPL cycles. For the IPL 2025 mega auction cycle which set the squads currently playing in IPL 2026 the BCCI permitted each franchise to retain a maximum of six players before the auction. This was an increase from the five-player cap used ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Here is how the six-slot breakdown was structured:
- Up to five capped (Indian or overseas) players could be retained.
- Up to two of those six slots could be used for uncapped Indian players.
- A franchise could use any combination within those limits.
- Any player not retained was released into the auction pool and became available to all ten franchises.
Some teams chose to retain fewer than six players either to maximise auction flexibility or because their key players demanded higher salaries than the fixed retention slabs offered. For example, Punjab Kings retained just two players in 2025, banking on a wide-open auction purse to rebuild.
How Much Does a Retained Player Cost Against the Purse?
Every retained player’s value is deducted from the franchise’s total auction purse. For the 2025 mega auction, each team started with a purse of INR 120 crore. The salary deductions per retention slot were fixed by the BCCI as follows:
| Retention Slot | Capped Player Cost | Uncapped Player Cost |
| 1st Retention | INR 18 crore | INR 4 crore |
| 2nd Retention | INR 14 crore | INR 4 crore |
| 3rd Retention | INR 11 crore | INR 4 crore |
| 4th Retention | INR 18 crore | / |
| 5th Retention | INR 14 crore | / |
What this means practically: if Chennai Super Kings retain MS Dhoni (capped) as their first choice, INR 18 crore is automatically deducted before they bid for anyone else. If a franchise retains three capped stars and one uncapped player, they could spend up to INR 47 crore on retention alone leaving just INR 73 crore for the auction.
This is why the IPL squad building rules force teams to make genuinely difficult decisions. Keeping too many stars shrinks the auction firepower you need to build depth around them.
What Is the Right to Match (RTM) Card in IPL?
Definition and Purpose
The Right to Match (RTM) rule in IPL allows a franchise to reclaim a released or unsold player at the final price reached in the auction. It is essentially a safety net: a team that chose not to retain a player upfront can still get them back but only if they match whatever the highest bidder is willing to pay in the room.
The RTM card is separate from the retention process. Think of retentions as pre-auction locks and RTM cards as post-bidding buy-backs.
How RTM Works in Practice
- Franchise A decides not to retain Player X before the auction.
- Player X enters the auction pool. Other franchises bid.
- When bidding ends, Franchise A can activate their RTM card.
- If they match the final price, Player X returns to Franchise A.
- If they decline or cannot afford it, the highest bidder wins.
In recent auction cycles, RTM rights have been limited. For the 2025 mega auction, each franchise was allocated a set number of RTM cards based on how many retentions they used before the auction. Teams that retained fewer players generally received more RTM slots to balance the equation.
A famous real-world example: Rajasthan Royals used an RTM card to bring back Shane Watson in an earlier IPL cycle after he had been let go. This strategy lets teams hedge their bets releasing a player to free purse space while keeping the option to match any offer at auction.
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Uncapped Indian Players and Their Retention Cost
An uncapped Indian player is someone who has not yet represented India in an official international match (Test, ODI, or T20I) at the time of the retention deadline. These players are treated differently under IPL player retention policy for two key reasons: they are usually younger talents with lower market valuations, and the BCCI wants to incentivise franchises to nurture domestic stars.
The retention cost for uncapped players is fixed at INR 4 crore per slot regardless of which slot number they occupy. This is significantly cheaper than retaining a capped international.
The uncapped category matters most for squads built around young talent pipelines. When Rinku Singh was still uncapped, franchises that had him in their squad could retain him at a fraction of what a senior India player would cost. Once a player earns their first international cap, they move into the capped bracket for future cycles.
Overseas Player Retention Rules in IPL
The IPL allows each franchise to have up to eight overseas players registered in their squad at any time, but only four can play in any single match. This match-day limit directly shapes which overseas players are worth retaining.
Under the overseas player retention rules in IPL, foreign players fall into the same capped player bracket as senior Indian internationals. There is no separate salary slab for them. An overseas star retained in the first slot costs the same INR 18 crore as an Indian captain.
Key overseas retention considerations for franchises include:
- Impact in all conditions: An overseas player must earn their spot over four Indian stars.
- Role specificity: Teams often retain a specialist overseas finisher or a key overseas fast bowler rather than all-rounders who could be replaced locally.
- Commitment to IPL: Some overseas stars have national schedule conflicts that make them unreliable across a full season, a big risk for a retention slot.
Examples like Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Faf du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bangalore) at various auction cycles illustrate how highly franchises value overseas leaders who double as captains or senior voices in the dressing room.
Smart Retention Decisions That Changed IPL History
Some retention choices have defined franchise eras. Others have backfired badly. Here are three landmark examples that show just how much this process matters.
Mumbai Indians Keep Rohit Sharma — Every Time
Mumbai Indians have retained Rohit Sharma at every mega auction cycle, making him the bedrock of their five-title dynasty. The cost in purse deductions has always been justified by his leadership and match-winning batting. His retention is a textbook case of the IPL 2026 retention cap philosophy working as intended: identify your irreplaceable player and lock them in first.
Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni’s Uncapped Status
One of the most discussed situations in recent IPL history involved MS Dhoni retiring from international cricket. Once he was no longer an active India player, there was a question about his capped/uncapped status. BCCI clarified that players who have previously represented India remain in the capped bracket permanently for IPL purposes preventing teams from retaining legends on uncapped salaries.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Release David Warner — Then Regret It
SRH famously did not retain David Warner before the 2022 mega auction, leaving him open to bidding. The Delhi Capitals picked him up. It became one of the most-analysed release decisions in IPL history, raising questions about whether short-term squad politics should override long-term retention value.
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IPL 2026 Retentions: What Each Franchise Chose to Do
Ahead of IPL 2026 which runs from the squad built at the November 2025 mega auction each franchise made critical retention calls under the BCCI’s six-slot rule. Here is a snapshot of key retention decisions that shaped this season’s squads.
- Mumbai Indians retained Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Tilak Varma, five players totalling a significant chunk of their INR 120 crore purse.
- Chennai Super Kings retained MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, and Matheesha Pathirana preserving the spine of their title-winning side.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar as their cornerstones, giving them substantial auction funds to rebuild around those two.
- Kolkata Knight Riders retained Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell holding onto the core of their 2024 title-winning team.
- Rajasthan Royals retained Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Shimron Hetmyer.
- Punjab Kings retained only Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, opting for maximum purse flexibility, one of the most aggressive release strategies of the cycle.
Every franchise’s retention list told a story about their long-term philosophy. Teams that retained a more traded auction budget for certainty; teams that released more bets on finding value in the open market.
Final Thoughts
IPL Retentions & Release Rules are the chess moves that happen before the auction spectacle. They determine a franchise’s budget, squad identity, and long-term trajectory. Whether a team locks in six stars or bets everything on the open market, each decision reflects a different philosophy of how to build a championship squad. Understanding these rules transforms you from a casual viewer into someone who can read between the lines of every auction.
Want to go deeper? Explore more cricket guides, IPL squad breakdowns, and auction analysis on SportsPlay24.com, your go-to destination for cricket and football coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does the IPL RTM rule work?
The Right to Match (RTM) card lets a franchise reclaim a released player by matching the final auction price another team bids for them.
2. What happens to players who are not retained?
Any player not retained before the mega auction is released into the auction pool and can be bid for by any of the ten IPL franchises.
3. Do uncapped players cost less to retain in the IPL?
Yes. Uncapped Indian players those who have not yet represented India in international cricket are retained at a fixed cost of INR 4 crore per slot, regardless of which slot number they occupy.
