IPL 2021 auction FAQs: Player cap, purse limit, Right-to-Match card and more

Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are expected to be among the busiest franchises, with the biggest purse to target a lot of players in IPL 2021 auction. The option of the Right-to-Match (RTM) card will not be available to franchises which means they would not be able to match other franchises’ bids and re-sign the players they had released ahead of this auction.

IPL 2021 auction will be held in Chennai on February 18. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)

The auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will take place at the ITC Grand Chola Hotel in Chennai on Thursday (February 18) from 3pm onwards. A total of 292 players will go under the hammer to fill 61 vacant slots in the eight franchises. 

Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are expected to be among the busiest franchises, with the biggest purse to target a lot of players. All eight franchises, however, have certain rules to follow while pursuing players and assembling a squad for the 14th edition of the league.  

We take a look at some of the rules that franchises have to follow... 

What is purse limit for IPL franchises?

No franchise will be allowed to buy a player beyond their purse balance. A maximum of Rs 85 crore was allotted to each franchise to purchase players. Punjab Kings have Rs 53.2 crore in store while Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the least in their kitty (Rs. 10.75 crore). 

What is minimum spending limit for IPL teams?

From the total money allotted (Rs 85 crore), each franchise has to spend at least 75 per cent of the amount. In case where a franchise completes its squad in 70 per cent of the money, the remaining 5 per cent of the balance will directly go to the BCCI. Punjab Kings, RCB and RR are expected to be among those signing big-money players in the auction. 

How do you use Right-to-Match Card?

The option of the Right-to-Match (RTM) card will not be available to franchises which means they would not be able to match other franchises’ bids and re-sign the players they had released ahead of this auction. To re-sign a released player, hence, franchises would need to be involved in the bidding war. 

What will be the player cap on IPL franchises?

Capping has also been set by the BCCI over the signing of Indian and overseas talent. Each franchise can have a maximum of 25 Indian players and a minimum of 17 Indian players. Each franchise can have a maximum of 8 international players in the squad but there’s no capping on the lower-limit. 

You can watch Live Streaming of the IPL 2021 auction on Disney+ Hotstar.