Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed strong opposition to the potential reinstatement of the Right to Match (RTM) rule in the upcoming IPL auction for the 2025 season. His comments come in light of discussions held by the BCCI with franchise owners about player regulations.
The RTM rule, which previously allowed teams to retain players by matching the highest bid during auctions, was removed before the 2021 mega auction to provide newer franchises, such as the Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, with a more extensive pool of players. Ashwin argues that reinstating this rule undermines the true market value of players by limiting the auction process and consequently affecting their financial prospects and career decisions.
Ashwin illustrates his point using a hypothetical scenario where a player valued at ₹5-6 crores enters the auction. He notes that if the Sunrisers mitigate their risk by bidding low initially and later decide to match the highest bid from other franchises, they can retain the player without truly engaging in a competitive bidding process. This, he claims, leaves the other teams—who also genuinely valued the player—dissatisfied, as the situation favours the team that had the player before the auction.
He emphasises that the RTM rule restricts fair valuation, advocating that teams should have to exceed the highest bids to retain players, ensuring players receive their genuine market value. Ashwin's conclusion is a clear call for an auction process where players are compensated adequately and fairly, rather than potentially being left with diminished options and earnings through the RTM system.