Star Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels the Right to Match (RTM) rule in the IPL auction is highly unfair to players. The rule permits teams to retain a player from the previous season by matching the highest bid for them in the auction.
The franchises were given two or three RTM cards, but the rule was removed in the IPL 2022 mega auction to give the new teams, Gujarat and Lucknow, a chance to choose the best players from a larger pool. Recently, before the IPL 2025 auction, the franchises met with officials to talk about player retention limits and the possible return of the RTM rule.
While talking to his official YouTube channel, R Ashwin said, “There is no rule more unfair for a player than RTM. Because how has the RTM rule been so far? For example, there is a player called X. He is on a team called, let us say, Sunrisers. His current value is around ₹five-six crores. He has gone into the auction. Now say Sunrisers want to buy the player back. So, the Sunrisers will bid for the player at a base price of 2 crore.”
Ashwin also mentioned that the rule causes a conflict between the teams.
The legendary spinner further added, “Then, let us say, KKR and the Mumbai Indians are bidding for the player. The bid goes up to 6 crores and finally, they say, ‘The player is sold to the Mumbai Indians for 6 crores.’ So, with RTM, the Sunrisers will then bid for and take the player at 6 crores. The problem here is that Sunrisers are happy. But KKR and MI are unhappy. The only person (party) happy is Sunrisers. Because, in the beginning, they gave an attendance bid at base price.”
