Will there be a three-player retention policy for IPL auction next year?

It is unlikely that all Indian and international players will go into the mega auction pool for the Indian Premier League's 11th edition. The IPL governing council, which met in New Delhi yesterday, discussed whether to give the franchisees an option of retaining maximum three players, mid-day has learnt. "No decision was taken in the meeting, but during the discussion of retention policy members felt that the franchisees should be given three players to retain," an IPL governing council source told mid-day.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

However, a few franchisees with whom mid-day spoke to will try and convince the IPL governing council, headed by Rajeev Shukla, to retain at least five players from their current set-up. The IPL governing council members will meet the franchisees in Mumbai on November 13 to discuss the retention policy and details regarding the auction. "Retaining at least five players would make sense. Every team has at least five top players with whom fans connect. They have now become an integral part of the team. Retaining just three players would be too less," said a franchisee member.

With the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals returning after a two-year suspension, the IPL governing council has decided that the players can go back to their previous teams. So, the likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Brendon McCullum can all return to CSK, while Ravindra Jadeja can join the Royals camp.