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Studying the new rules of IPL

MS Dhoni showed he's still got it in ODIs. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Roar Rookie
9th December, 2017
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The IPL auction is all set to see a major revamp in the new season, when defunct franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will be making a comeback.

Apart from the increased purse, the changes in IPL rules will also see MS Dhoni returning back to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Comeback of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals
Both these franchises were banned in 2015 for being involved in betting activities. A special draft was organised in December 2015 where all players from these clubs were up for grabs by new entrants Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant.

Rising Pune Supergiant purchased MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Steven Smith and Faf du Plessis, while Gujarat Lions bought Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum, James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo.

Since Pune and Gujarat are not part of the upcoming season, the Super Kings and Royals are allowed to retain the players who were part of their team in 2015 before their bans with an additional condition that the player should have been part of the team in those two excluded years.

The effect of this rule will be seen in the IPL auction, when the Chennai won’t be able to retain Mohit Sharma, who was part of their team from 2013 to 2015, as he played for Kings XI Punjab for the two years.

(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Retention rule and right to match card
A franchise is now allowed to retain five players with two mechanisms: by retaining a player before auction and by using a right to match card on auction day. A maximum of three players can be retained ahead of the auction, which will leave a franchise with two match cards on auction day.

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If a franchise like the Delhi Daredevils, which did not retain even a single player before 2014 auction, does not retain any player, they can use all three right to match cards on the auction day.

A right to match card is an advantage which a franchise posses over a former player it had released before going into the auction.

For example, let’s say Sunrisers Hyderabad release Yuvraj Singh before the auction. The all-rounder is up for grabs on the auction day and we presume that Kings XI Punjab, a franchise which he led in past, purchases him for ₹100 million ($A2.06 million).

In case Hyderabad thinks that they need Yuvraj Singh again and made a misjudgement by not retaining him ahead of the auction, they can wrest Yuvraj from that team by matching the amount for which Yuvraj has been sold to Punjab. A franchise can use a total of three cards if it hasn’t retained any player, while the number will come down to two in any other case.

A right to match option also gives an advantage to a franchise ahead of the auction. To retain a player a franchise has to pay him either ₹150 million ($A3.1 million), ₹110 million ($A2.3 million) or ₹70 million ($A1.4 million), depending upon the preference. With a right to match option they have a chance of gaining back the player at a lower amount.

(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

To explain it with an example, let us take into consideration Mumbai Indians batsman, Nitish Rana, who did wonders for his franchise in the last season. In 2015 auction Mumbai had purchased him for ₹1 million ($A20,660), which is quite a small number when compared to the amount they have to pay if they wish to retain him.

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The business mind of the owner will come into play in this case as, if they are sure his price would not go beyond that number, then its all profit for the franchise.

If Nitish Rana goes to te Delhi Daredevils for ₹20 million ($A413.200), Mumbai can match the amount and get him back. He will still play for Mumbai at a less amount which they would have had to pay in case the franchise would have retained him.

Change in squad size
Now a franchise can have a maximum of 25 players while they have to keep a minimum of 18 players on the side.

These are the no-brainer retains for the coming season:

  • Chennai Super Kings – MS Dhoni
  • Royal Challengers Bangalore – Virat Kohli
  • Sunrisers Hyderabad – Bhuvneshwar Kumar
  • Kings XI Punjab – David Miller
  • Mumbai Indians – Rohit Sharma
  • Rajasthan Royals – None,though Steven Smith has a chance
  • Delhi Daredevils – Chris Morris
  • Kolkata Knight Riders – Gautam Gambhir
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