IPL mini auctions might be short affairs, lasting for a few hours. But a lot of big deals happen within a short timeframe.
Take, for instance, the Australian pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who secured bids of 20-crore-plus in the IPL 2024 mini-auction. This was the first time a player fetched more than 20 crore in the auction history.
While the deals were historic, the IPL franchises didn’t digest them well. Why?
Well, the franchises thought overseas players registered in the mini auctions to get hefty deals, thanks to the supply-demand gap.
So, the BCCI stepped in with a maximum fee rule for the overseas players in the IPL mini-auctions.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, the board announced that overseas players can’t earn more than the maximum fee in the mini auctions.
But what’s the maximum fee an overseas player can get in the mini auctions?
So the rule mentions an overseas player can’t earn more than the highest retention slab and the highest auction price in the mega auction, whichever is lower.
Suppose the retention price is set at INR 18 crore, while a player attracts the highest bid of INR 24 crore in the mega auction. Then the maximum fee will be the lowest between the retention price and the highest auction price, which is INR 18 crore.
In 2025, the highest retention slab was INR 18 crore, while the highest auction bid was INR 27 crore.
Since the retention price is lower than the auction price, the overseas players can’t earn more than INR 18 crore in the 2026 and 2027 mini-auctions.
So the bidding will stop at INR 18 crore?
Not, really. The franchises will continue bidding even if the auction price crosses INR 18 crore. The bidding will only stop once the player is formally sold to a franchise.
Let’s say an overseas player is sold at INR 22 crore. But his actual fee can’t be more than INR 18 crore.
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But what happens to the excess amount over the maximum fee?
Any surplus amount over the maximum fee will go into the BCCI coffers. The BCCI will use the excess amount for player welfare.
And who pays the extra amount?
The franchises will deposit the surplus amount with the BCCI. They will pay INR 18 crore to the player, while the rest goes into the player welfare scheme. The entire amount will be deducted from their salary cap.
Is the maximum fee applicable to Indian players?
Nope. Indian players can attract any amount in the mini auctions without any cap.
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