Mumbai: The Indian Premier League auction is a one-of-a-kind mass entertainer, running successfully for 17 years. Not everyone though agrees if it is the best system for squad building. Addressing concerns from some franchises who wanted team continuity, IPL bosses made several tweaks in the retention rules for ‘fair play’ – they allowed more retentions but made them costlier, allowed unlimited Right To Match (RTM) cards with modifications, and conditions applied.

While retentions impacted a team’s auction purse, they had time to pick the formula to suit their squad strength. The tweaked RTM rule left the franchises thinking on their feet. Some teams liked it, a few didn’t, but it sure added drama to the already absorbing paddle wars that played out at Jeddah for two days.

The show-stopping bidding for Rishabh Pant would have played out differently if Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) didn’t have the freedom to put out an incremental bid (going from ₹20.75 to ₹27 crore), which Delhi Capitals (DC) couldn’t match under the modified RTM rule. As per the old rule, DC would have simply won Pant back by matching the price when the bidding stopped. So what if the player had walked out of retention talks pre-auction.

Now, the player found his right match and his new franchise was only too happy to have him.

“I think it’s (RTM rule) great. It puts you to some tough questions,” said Daniel Vettori, head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). “The rationale was to give the players a fair price. Sometimes when the RTM comes, it might not quite be there for some of the good players. It’s added an element to that.”

Vettori held this view despite losing Arshdeep Singh over a RTM use by Punjab Kings (PBKS), who matched their incremental bid ( ₹15.75 to ₹18 crore) and kept the pacer. SRH were smart enough to raise Harshal Patel’s price ( ₹6.75 to 8 crore), and this time PBKS couldn’t go the distance while using their RTM.

The ideal use of RTM under the current framework is for those players who you want badly and have the room to free up the purse. Like Chennai Super Kings did with Afghanistan left-arm unorthodox spinner Noor Ahmad. Gujarat Titans tried to keep the Noor-Rashid Khan combination together using their RTM but failed as CSK doubled the bid amount ( ₹5 crore to ₹10 crore). DC used the RTM effectively, winning back power-hitter Jake Fraser-McGurk and pacer Mukesh Kumar after a fierce bidding battle with PBKS.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had bargained for as many as 8 RTMs for team continuity during discussions with IPL authorities. They, however, were not fans of the modified rule where the competing bidder has an equal say. “I still maintain that the RTM rule should have been the old rule,” said KKR CEO Venky Mysore. It reflected in their team strategy where they maximised their retentions at the cost of RTM power in the auctions.

There have been murmurs about certain teams and player agents inflating prices. But as it played out, more teams came out smiling. “The IPL auction is a great theatre with the build-up, the complexities to the multiple variables making it fascinating to be part of. It must be equally fascinating to watch. It (RTM) adds to the spectacle,” said Andy Flower, Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach. “Those who argue that it does not give you an accurate market price, I would argue against that.”

After guarding their RTM for most of the two days, RCB finally sampled it to win back left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh ( ₹35 lakh to ₹50 lakh).

The RTM usage did take up a lot of time – the auctioneer wasn’t always sure when it was available and teams gestured to communicate the incremental bids, extending the already long auction.

“There has to be a shot clock for the incremental bid,” suggested Vettori.

Virat could lead RCB: ABD

Virat Kohli emerged a leading contender to captain RCB again in the twilight of his IPL career after no prominent captaincy names were chased by the franchise at the auction. Mo Bobat, RCB’s director of cricket said Kohli was “hot on the business” from Australia over the bidding.

Former RCB stalwart and Kohli’s good friend AB de Villiers spoke strongly of the possibility. “I actually know the answer,” he said on Jio Cinema. “It would almost be a swan song for Virat, a fairytale finish to what’s been a great career. Maybe go back-to-back IPLs as captain.”

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