Mumbai: Unlike this year, there will be no limit to what Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners can offer as salaries next year. While IPL bosses say that is a mere formality as teams have already filled up their quota of eight foreign players each, could there be some shocking purchases in the future?
Even if there are no auctions for the next two years franchises can acquire new players and at any price. Chief Executive Office of IPL Sundar Raman confirmed, “Yes, there will be no salary cap.”
Though, that doesn't quite mean that there will be a free-for-all under IPL rules.
- Each team can have only eight foreign players. All teams have filled that quota.
- To acquire a new player teams will have to "voluntarily retire" one contracted player by paying him his entire contracted amount for the next two years.
- Players currently contracted by the IPL can only move to another team during the transfer window in February.
Meanwhile, Chairman of IPL, Lalit Modi said, “It will be a very expensive process.”
For instance if owner of Royal Challengers Vijay Mallya wants to replace the underperforming Jacques Kallis next year he will have to pay him nearly $2 million unless another franchise purchases the South African at a higher cost.
But will that deter team owners with deep pockets? Rumours suggest the Mumbai Indians have already offered Kevin Pietersen $4 million to play next year. But the question is will this be fair to those players who have already signed on for the next three years at what is now a salary set in stone?
When the IPL began, a smart marketing campaign called it the Indian Paisa League. Perhaps, those words ring truer than ever before now. So expect next year to be bigger, brighter and of course richer.
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