The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced new rule in Indian Premier League (IPL) to restrict overseas players from earning more money than the Indian cricketers. In IPL 2024, Mitchell Starc was bought for INR 24.75 by Kolkata Knight Riders, making him the most expensive player in the history of the tournament.
The BCCI has put an end to such a situation. Ahead of IPL 2025, the governing council of the league has introduced a rule that would make overseas players ineligible to earn more money than the retained or sold Indian players in the mega auction.
Starc ended his IPL sabbatical in 2024, making himself available for the mini-auction. His move proved fruitful for the pacer as he got a record deal from the Knight Riders. However, Starc was accused of deliberately giving his name for the mini-auction to earn more money.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, overseas players will have to register themselves for the mega auction, if they want to play in the IPL 2026 and IPL 2027 seasons. However, if a cricketer is injured or has medical issues, he will exempted from this rule. The maximum fee an overseas player can earn in the mini-auction will be decided on the basis of the highest retention fee of a player or the money another player gets in the mega-auction. The amount lower between the two cricketers will be considered while determining the final price.
Example: If Jasprit Bumrah is retained by Mumbai Indians for a fee of INR 18 crore and Rohit Sharma is bought for INR 15 crore during the mega auction, then no overseas player would get more than INR 15 crore in the mini-auction. In case Rohit Sharma goes for INR 20 crore in the mega auction, then the highest amount (overseas players) would be INR 18 crore (Jasprit Bumrah’s retention amount).
The franchises can take their bids to any level but the additional amount would go to BCCI for the welfare of the cricketers.
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