The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council (GC) have come down heavily at the overseas players with their new directives as part of the player retention rules for the 2025-27 cycle ahead of the mega auction. Looking at the prices soar in the mini-auction last year where Pat Cummins (INR 20.5 crore by SRH) and Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crore by KKR), the BCCI has made it mandatory for the players to register in the mega auction to be eligible to get picked in the subsequent season's mini-auction as well.
In the last few years, the overseas players have registered in the mini-auction more as compared to the mega one as the salary prices rise high in the small auctions. However, the BCCI in its new directive, "Any Overseas Player will have to register for the Big Auction. In case the overseas player doesn't register, then he will be ineligible to register in the following year’s player auction" has probably ensured that this will not happen again.
Hence, suppose a Pat Cummins or a Starc don't want to play in IPL 2025 but they are available in 2026, they will have to register for the mega auction, otherwise they will be directly eligible to play in the 2027 edition.
Similarly, the board has also reprimanded the player pull-outs. Jason Roy being the prime example, pulled out of IPL 2022 after being picked by the Gujarat Titans and did the same last year when Kolkata Knight Riders retained him ahead of 2024 auction. Mark Wood (LSG) and Gus Atkinson (KKR) too pulled out after being retained and picked by their respective franchises.
However, if any players does this from IPL 2025 onwards, he will be banned from the tournament for a couple of seasons.
"Any player who registers in the player auction and after getting picked at the auction, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season, will get banned from participating in the tournament and player auction for 2 Seasons," the directive added.
The board and the IPL GC haven't held themselves back this time around as far as the overseas players acting as per their whims are concerned and they will have to adhere to the rules from the 2025 edition onwards.
