How many players will franchises be able to retain for IPL 2022?

As per the informal discussions between the Indian Premier League and the franchises, the existing eight teams will be allowed a maximum of four player retentions. The two newly acquired franchises Ahmedabad and Lucknow will be allowed to pick three players each after the eight teams have made their selections before the IPL 2022 auction.

While retaining existing players, teams can opt for any of the two combinations: three Indians and one overseas or two Indians and two overseas. There's no defining rule on whether the Indians need to be capped or uncapped.

Although there's no clarity on its official date, it is believed that the official purse for the IPL 2022 auction is expected to be Rs 90 crore, slightly higher than the Rs 85 crore that was made available for IPL 2021 auction. Unlike the last major IPL auction in 2018, this time there will be no right-to-match cards (RTM) at the auction.

The IPL has specified the combination of the three players that the two new sides Ahmedabad and Lucknow will be able to acquire: two Indians and one overseas cricketer. However, it's still unclear whether these selections have to made from the pool of players released by the eight franchises or the larger auction pool.

The league has also made it clear that when it comes to retentions, the final decision will rest with the player: whether he wants to be retained by the franchise or wants to go back to the player pool. The decision could be motivated by wanting to play for a different team as well as possibly getting a better paycheck.

The details and final guidelines are yet to be communicated officially by the league. However, it is believed that the deadline for retaining players will likely be the end of November.