Will Chennai Super Kings retain Dhoni?

No consensus on IPL player retention

The Indian Premier League auction for the 2018 season is just three months away, but no consensus has been reached over the number of players that can be retained by franchises.

In Tuesday's meeting between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and franchisee owners, there was a split over the issue.

The meeting was attended by owners of all eight original teams, BCCI office-bearers, executives and the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.

It is learnt that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), who are making a comeback to IPL after being suspended for two years following the spot-fixing saga, are not in favour of player retention.

So, how will Chennai Super Kings retain their talisman Mahendra Singh Dhoni?

The BCCI was in favour of allowing teams to retain three players, whereas the owners of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings argued for five and four players respectively, ESPNcricinfo reported.

In contrast, Rajasthan Royals, who are returning after serving a two-year suspension, made a suggestion to do away with the retention policy as they wanted to build their team from scratch.

The Royals also rejected the Right to Match (RTM) card proposal that allows team owners an opportunity to retain players by matching their auction price.

Kolkata Knight Riders proposed no retentions and sought five RTMs, whereas Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers supported retention and RTMs.

Other issues like imposing a salary cap on the players and how many teams will play in the 11th edition of the IPL were also discussed.

Meanwhile, the IPL governing Council has allowed Kings XI Punjab to play three of their home matches outside Chandigarh and four home games at their home base in Mohali.