Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals have reportedly decided to not retain England all-rounder Ben Stokes for IPL 2022. Sources close to SportsTiger confirm that the franchise has made the decision considering the recent fitness struggles of the 30-year old and the salary cap. Stokes has been out of action since July as he decided to take an indefinite break from cricket to prioritize mental health and also focus on recovering from a troublesome finger injury.
Notably, the previous 8 IPL teams will get a chance to retain up to four players from their existing squad – not more than three Indians (capped/uncapped), two overseas and two uncapped players. If a team retains four players, a total of INR 42 crore will be deducted from their purse, while the retention of three players will lead to the team losing INR 33 crore. Two retentions will see a team’s purse going down by INR 24 crore and for a single player retention, the franchise will lose INR 14 crore from its purse.
As a result, keeping in mind the salary cap and the recent terrific performances of wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, it is understood that Buttler will be RR'S number 1 choice for retention. Buttler was the star of the show for England at the recently-concluded T20 World Cup as looked in marvellous touch. He also smashed his maiden T20I hundred. Meanwhile, another choice for the overseas slot for Royals would be Jofra Archer, who was the Indian Premier League’s most valuable player in 2020.
Different salary cap for different number of retentions
It should be noted that there will be different salaries for each player according to the number of retentions a team decides to make. In case of four retentions the salary will be – Rs 16 crore for Player 1, Rs 12 crore for Player 2, Rs 8 crore for Player 3 and Rs 6 crore for Player 4. If a team decides to retain on three players, the salary will be – Rs 15 crore for Player 1, Rs 11 crore for Player 2 and Rs 7 crore for Player 3.
Only two retained players will see the Player 1 getting Rs 14 crore and Rs 10 crore for Player 2. If a franchise decides to retain only one player, then the salary for him would be Rs 14 crore annually. However, the retention amount salary of the retained players and the actual amount paid to the player is not always the same. For example, if Delhi Capitals retain Rishabh Pant as their 'player 1' among four maximum players, then the purse deducted will be ₹16 crore. But in reality, Pant's actual take home salary is not the true reflection of what is deducted from purse. It could be lesser than ₹16 crore.
BCCI has given a window from November 1, 2021 to November 30, 2021 to finalise their retained players while the two new teams will get a chance to pick three players outside the auction from December 1, 2021 to December 25, 2021.