IPL teams to retain 4 Indians, 3 foreigners

New Delhi:- When the stage gets set for the IPL auction (season IV), the team owners are likely to be given the option of retaining four Indians and three foreign players.

The others will be put up for auction. This means that 56 players could be out of auction list. It also implies that some of the stars put up for auction could get salary hikes of up to 30 per cent when the contracts are renewed after three years.

According to sources in the Indian cricket board (BCCI), this issue was discussed at the IPL's governing council and in all likelihood will become the rule. "This will be discussed by the franchisees and the players before a final decision is reached," a top BCCI official told TOI on Thursday.

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings owner and BCCI secretary N Srinivsan had reportedly voiced his objection to the proposal of having fresh auction for the all the IPL players. He had said that the brand established around certain players and teams would be lost if big names were signed by other teams after three years.

The compensation package for those who will not be part of the auction will be worked out in line with the icon players. For first three seasons, icon players are getting 15 per cent more than the player bought for the highest amount by a team.

"Some of the teams are too attached to the players and would not want to let them go at any cost. It will be interesting to see how many top players are listed for the auction. Players' consent is also important," an IPL official said.

With two teams joining the bandwagon, and the list of stars likely to be shortened for the auction, the franchisees are expecting a fair amount of raise for the players. "The new teams will surely go for the star players. If the market conditions continue to improve, the players will rake in a lot of money," the official added.