BCCI announces severe action against players withdrawing from IPL after commitment

The Indian Premier League (IPL) finally announced the regulations for the upcoming mega auction, on Saturday. In a press release, BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah revealed that the decision was taken after ‘a constructive dialogue with owners of the 10 franchises in July’.

In the past, we have seen overseas players pull out from the tournament at the last moment, creating a moment of chaos. Now the BCCI has come up with a new method to deal with it.

BCCI takes stern measures

According to the press release, all overseas players will have to register for the Big Auction. If any overseas cricketer doesn’t register, then they will be ‘ineligible’ to register in the next year’s auction. Also if an overseas player gets picked after registering at the auction, and then they pull out before the season begins, then they will get banned from participating in the tournament and player auction for two seasons.

Last year, Pat Cummins (purchased by SRH for ₹20.5 crore) and Mitchell Starc (purchased by KKR for ₹24.75 crore) bagged big contracts in the mini auction. In the past we have seen overseas players register for the mini auction more, when compared to the mega auction, as the bidding war rises in the former. The new rule makes it harder for players to skip the mega auction.

In terms of player pull outs, we have seen Jason Roy pull out of IPL 2022 after getting purchased by Gujarat Titans, and with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson have also done the same.

We will also see the Impact Player rule continue for the 2025-27 cycle. In the past, high-profile stars like Rohit Sharma and former players have pointed out that the rule could be a setback to the development of all-rounders. But it looks like the BCCI has decided to continue with the rule for the next three seasons.

The Impact Player rule was introduced in the 2023 season, and has always been a big debatable topic. Since the inception of the Impact Player rule, nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded, which permits a team to sub out a first XI player and introduce a specialist batter or bowler, depending on the situation of the match.