Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2025, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out strongly against the Right to Match (RTM) rule which could be reintroduced. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering bringing back the RTM rule as they prepare for the IPL 2025 auction later this year. This possibility has ignited debates among player and franchise owners.
The BCCI recently had a “constructive dialogue” with the owners of its ten IPL franchises in a bid to sort out various issues. Amongst other issues, ANI reported that matters discussed included: whether mega-auctions should happen every five years instead of the current three-year cycle; reintroduction of RTM card; availability of overseas players; and limiting player retention.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin criticized the RTM rule by pointing out that it is unfair to players since it prevents them from receiving their true market value. According to him, this leads to a scenario where the original team wins at expense of other bidding franchises and a player concerned. “There is no rule more unfair for a player than RTM,” Ashwin stated.
“The problem with RTM is that it does not give fair value to the player. For instance, if during an auction competitive bidding causes an increase in player’s worth, the initial team can just match highest bid without adding anything into an increment. Consequently, such a player today would have had no opportunity to achieve his/her real market price.”
This provision allows teams to buy back a particular play if he or she was representing them previously by matching another club’s highest offer.The said clause was done away with in last year’s mega-auction so as to create an extensive pool from which such new franchises like Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants can pick from.
Ashwin stated further that while the original team may be contented with the result, other franchises and even the player may be shortchanged by the process. It is this that Ashwin says undermines the credibility of an auction and does not allow players to receive a rightful compensation.
“This leaves the player without the opportunity to achieve their true market worth,” he reiterated, stressing that the rule benefits the original team disproportionately.
The discussions between BCCI and owners of franchises are still ongoing and whatever verdict they reach on whether RTM rule should be brought back will have major implications on forthcoming IPL auction dynamics.
