IPL franchises have recommended a two-year ban on overseas players who are bought in the auction without a valid reason and then are not allowed to play in the season. They have also told the IPL to make it mandatory for overseas players to register for the big auction and not participate in the mini-auctions where they expect a potentially huge price tag. ESPNcricinfo has learned that almost all the 10 franchises have agreed to these two points after meeting with the IPL on Wednesday.
Many IPL teams have been hit hard by the withdrawal of overseas players on the eve of the new season due to personal reasons. They have pointed out that such late withdrawals have a negative impact on team performance. The strategy is designed with overseas players in mind and if they are suddenly withdrawn, the franchises will have to scramble to find replacements from a much shallower international talent pool.
The franchise told the IPL that the player board can understand if a player is absent due to international commitments, injuries or family commitments that prevent him from joining the team. They were willing to make such allowances as long as there was clear information about the player’s availability during the IPL season at the time of the auction.
The problem the franchise faces is that there have been many instances where players who were bought at base price have pulled out after the auction. They even provided an example where the player’s manager told the franchise that his client could be available if he paid more.
The franchise also said that in the past two cycles of the IPL (2018-24), there have been several instances of high-profile overseas players skipping the mega auction and going for the mini-auctions to attract big bids. This tends to happen due to the lack of quality talent in the mini-auctions. In the last mega auction in 2022, the highest bid for a player was INR 15.25 crore (around $2.03 million), with Ishan Kishan going to Mumbai Indians. In the most recent mini-auction, there were two higher bids for Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crore or around $2.98 million) and Pat Cummins (INR 20.50 crore or around $2.47 million).
It was imperative that the IPL implement certain checks as the franchises felt that some players and coaches were trying to cheat the system. The franchises said they would understand if new or promising overseas players registered for the mini-auction, but bigger players had to register for the mega-auction. If they are not sold, they can participate in the mini-auction in the next season.
