Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran supported the call to increase the number of player retentions for each team ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. During the IPL owners’ meeting at the BCCI Headquarters on Wednesday, Maran explained that each team should have at least six retentions or six RTM (Right To Match) options in order to preserve the core of their respective squads. “We can use it as four retentions and two RTMS, or all six retentions, or all six RTMS and so on. The choice on whether a retention or RTM is used should be with the franchise based on discussions with the player.”

“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.”

“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,” she explained.

The SRH owner also said during the meeting that any cricketer who does not appear for the tournament despite getting selection in the auction should be banned if he does not have a serious injury.

“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,” she said.