Ravichandran Ashwin Criticizes IPL’s Right to Match Rule
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 10: Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced his concerns about the Right to Match (RTM) rule, which might return in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions for 2025. The auction is set to take place at the end of this year.
Earlier in August, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held a meeting with the owners of the ten IPL franchises to discuss various topics before finalizing the player regulations. Key points included having a mega auction every five years instead of three, reinstating the RTM card option, the availability of overseas players, and a limit on the number of retentions.
RTM allows teams to retain a player from the previous season by matching the highest bid placed by another franchise. This rule was removed in the 2021 mega auction to give new franchises, Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), a broader pool of players to choose from.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin explained why he believes the RTM rule is unfair to players. He illustrated with an example: if a player valued at Rs five-six crores is bid on by multiple teams, the original team can match the highest bid and retain the player. This, according to Ashwin, does not provide fair value to the player.
He elaborated that while the original team benefits, the other bidding teams and the player do not get a fair deal. Ashwin concluded that the RTM rule leaves players without fair compensation and should be reconsidered.
Doubts Revealed
Ravichandran Ashwin -: Ravichandran Ashwin is a famous Indian cricketer known for his excellent bowling skills. He plays for the Indian national team and has also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
IPL -: IPL stands for Indian Premier League, which is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India. It features teams from different cities in India and is very popular among cricket fans.
Right to Match (RTM) rule -: The Right to Match (RTM) rule in IPL allows a team to keep a player by matching the highest bid made by another team during the auction. This means the original team can retain the player if they are willing to pay the same amount as the highest bid.
BCCI -: BCCI stands for Board of Control for Cricket in India. It is the governing body for cricket in India and is responsible for organizing tournaments like the IPL.
auctions -: In the context of IPL, auctions are events where teams bid money to buy players for their team. The highest bidder gets the player, unless the RTM rule is used by the original team.