Recent reports from ESPN Cricinfo and Cricbuzz reveal that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will retain South African wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen for Rs 23 crore. This amount exceeds the IPL Governing Council’s set retention slab of Rs 18 crore by Rs 5 crore.
Understanding Retention Rules
The IPL allows franchises to retain players for different amounts as long as the total does not exceed the Rs 75 crore budget. The established retention fees are as follows:
- First retention: Rs 18 crore
- Second retention: Rs 14 crore
- Third retention: Rs 11 crore
- Fourth retention: Rs 8 crore
- Fifth retention: Rs 4 crore
- Uncapped player: Rs 4 crore
Franchises can adjust how they allocate the total funds among their retained players. For instance, a franchise can pay more than Rs 18 crore for their first player and less than Rs 11 crore for their third player, as long as the combined total for all retained players matches the designated budget.
Retention Budget Explained
If a franchise retains players for an amount less than Rs 75 crore out of a total purse of Rs 120 crore, the amount deducted will still be Rs 75 crore. However, if the retained amount exceeds Rs 75 crore, the actual amount paid will be deducted. As Cricbuzz noted, “Retention deduction is based on overall amount instead of fee per player.”
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Strategic Retention Flexibility
This flexible distribution of retention fees gives franchises an advantage in negotiating player salaries. For example, Kolkata Knight Riders might retain star players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for less than their designated slabs while offering more than Rs 4 crore to Harshit Rana, who qualifies as an uncapped player.
