Ravichandran Ashwin was unequivocal about the likely return of an IPL auction regulation ahead of the 2025 season.
The RTM rule, which allowed a club to keep a player by matching the highest bid during the auction, was traditionally used to ensure teams kept their valuable players. However, at the 2021 mega auction, this rule was removed to provide a broader range of players to emerging teams like as the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Ashwin has publicly criticised the rule, saying that it restricts the natural auction process and so undervalues a player’s true market value, even as the BCCI considers its reinstatement.
According to Ashwin, this limitation not only affects the financial rewards that players may receive, but it also limits their ability to choose the optimal environment for their professional development.
“No regulation is more unjust to a player than RTM. Because how has the RTM rule performed so far? For example, there is a player named X. He is on a team called the Sunrisers. His current worth is about ₹5-6 crores. He has entered the auction. Let’s imagine the Sunrisers want to buy the player back. So the Sunrisers will bid for the player at a basic price of 2 crore,” Ashwin remarked on his own YouTube channel, according to sources.
“Let’s say KKR and Mumbai Indians are bidding for the guy. The bid increases to 6 crores, and they ultimately announce, ‘The player is sold to the Mumbai Indians for 6 crores.’ So, with RTM, the Sunrisers will offer for and get the player for 6 crores. The issue here is that Sunrisers are pleased. However, KKR and MI are displeased. Sunrisers are the only people (party) that are cheerful. Because, in the beginning, they bid on attendance at the base price,” he explained.
