The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has opted to enforce a two-year ban on overseas players who withdraw from the IPL after being selected in the auction. According to ESPN Cricinfo, this decision came after franchises urged the IPL to take stricter measures, as foreign players have previously pulled out of the tournament without giving any valid reason right after the auction.
A BCCI official explained – “any player who registers for [an] auction and after getting picked at the auction, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season, will get banned from participating in the IPL/IPL auction for two seasons.”
England opener Jason Roy made headlines when he withdrew from IPL 2024 for personal reasons, despite being retained by Kolkata Knight Riders, who had initially bought him for ₹2.8 crore in the previous edition. On the other hand, Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in the auction leading up to the 2024 season, had similarly pulled out of IPL 2018, though his reason was an injury.
The Indian cricket board has enforced a rule mandating overseas players to participate in mega auctions to prevent them from gaining an unfair financial advantage during mini auctions. Franchises typically invest significant amounts in mini auctions to address gaps in their teams. This trend was evident in the IPL 2024 auction, where Kolkata Knight Riders purchased Mitchell Starc for ₹24.75 crore, and SunRisers Hyderabad picked up Pat Cummins for ₹20.50 crore.
The statement document by the BCCI reads,”The document states, “Any overseas player will have to register for the big auction. In case the player does not register then he will have to miss the subsequent small auction. Only exception will be in case of an injury/medical condition which will have to be confirmed by the [player’s] home board before the big auction.”
