BCCI responds to reports of rift among franchise owners at IPL 2025 meeting

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released a neutral statement following reports of a heated exchange between franchise owners that disrupted the IPL 2025 meeting on Wednesday. 

The meeting, held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, was attended by the owners of all ten franchises to discuss various aspects of the IPL, including player retentions and the structure of the auction.

Despite extensive discussions, the franchise owners failed to reach a consensus on key issues such as player retention numbers and the size of the auction. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) favored retaining eight to ten players, while Delhi Capitals (DC) advocated for maintaining the original mega auction format, which allows teams to rebuild their rosters every three years.

A particularly intense debate occurred between KKR owner Shahrukh Khan and Punjab Kings (PBKS) owner Ness Wadia over the necessity of a mega auction. 

In response to the contentious meeting, BCCI secretary Jay Shah issued a statement highlighting the constructive nature of the dialogue.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday organised a constructive dialogue with the owners of the 10 franchises on various subjects pertaining to the upcoming season of the IPL," Shah said in a release.

"The franchise owners tabled feedback on player regulations and other commercial aspects, including central merchandising, licensing, and gaming. The BCCI will now take these recommendations to the IPL Governing Council for further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations," the statement added.

According to Shah, teams will likely be restricted to retaining no more than five players, with the option of using one Right to Match (RTM) card, which allows a team to match the final bid for a player from their previous squad.

Among the notable attendees were Shahrukh Khan from KKR, Kavya Maran from SRH, Ness Wadia from PBKS, Sanjiv Goenka and his son Shashwat from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Parth Jindal from DC. 

Representatives from Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Gujarat Titans also participated, with Mumbai Indians' owners attending online.

Parth Jindal, director of JSW Sports, which owns DC, confirmed the lack of consensus on player retention numbers. 

"No real outcome. It was just to hear all the different perspectives from all the owners and the BCCI has heard us and now they will give us all the rules. Hopefully, by the end of August we will get to know the rules for the next cycle," Jindal said.

Jindal confirmed that the teams did not reach a consensus on the number of players they wished to retain ahead of the mega auction.

"Nothing (on the consensus). Some people want eight to 10, some people want four, some people want six… it's all up in the air," he replied.