The owners of the franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were locked in a heated argument during a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday regarding the trend of the player auction in the league.
The disagreement was centred on the so-called mega auction system, which was proposed and supposed to be implemented before the 2025 season of the financially drenched tournament.
Some franchises, like KKR and SRH, requested that more player retention categories and a small auction event be retained, whereas some other franchises, like DC and PBKS, demanded that the mega auction remain unchanged.
When interviewed by the media after the meeting, DC co-owner Parth Jindal said he did not expect such a debate on this method of auctioning. On the mega auction, he opined that he endows this as the equalizer; hence, it is very good for everyone; it makes the IPL what it is—competitive.
On the other hand, Ness Wadia, the co-owner of PBKS, felt that the session was more of a “brainstorming session” in which all people concerned with the game had a chance to air and express their views and opinions on every matter pertaining to the game, including the much debated “Impact Player” rule. Wadia stressed that there should be happiness for fans and media besides cricket.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who chaired the meeting, stated that the franchises would be informed of the board’s decision on retention and other matters about a week later. The BCCI also stated that the opinions that arrived at the meeting would be presented before the IPL Governing Council for consideration and assessment.
Before the super over, the big names present were Shah Rukh Khan (KKR), Sanjeev Goenka (Lucknow Super Giants), Rupa Gurunath (CSK), Manoj Badale (RR), and Prathmesh Mishra (RCB), while MI was virtually present.
The waiting continues among the IPL fans. The BCCI is going to make its decision, and the outcome of this meeting can define the further development of the world’s most popular T20 cricket competition.
