Exclusive Arun Dhumal interview: ‘Idea is to give equal opportunities to all franchises’ | Cricket News

Ahead of the mega Indian Premier League auctions this year, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal asserts that the Indian cricket board has tried to establish a level playing field for all the 10 franchises. In a wide-ranging interview with The Indian Express, he explains the idea behind retention money cap, ban on foreign players if they miss out on IPL season and the impact player rule, among other topics.What was the idea behind the retention money cap, especially the Rs 18-14-11 crore for first three players and then 18-14 crore for fourth and fifth?
Arun Dhumal: The idea was to give equal opportunities to all franchises. Suppose if a franchise has a very good team and wants to retain them, then those players on an average have the same kind of value. It can’t be the best player gets Rs 18 crore and the fifth player the team wants to retain would be Rs 5-6 crore. In an ideal situation, franchises may offer two or three retentions so that a bigger pool of players is available for the auction, so that they can get the right value in the auction. Auction is the best place to find the value, if they have not been part of that process, if they are retained, they will get what the best players are getting.
It is the first time the IPL has introduced match fees of 7.5 lakh per IPL game?
Arun Dhumal: We have seen in the past seasons that at times players get picked for a smaller amount but once he gets an opportunity, he performs exceedingly well and continues to play the entire tournament. For such a player, it makes sense that even if they get picked for a lesser amount during the auction, they get a respectable amount. So the idea is to derive the maximum benefit to our players, who are the most important stakeholders of this league.
Will this help uncapped players like Shashank Singh and others?
Arun Dhumal: Any uncapped player who makes it to the tournament, who gets this platform and gives his best, and continues to play the tournament should get the maximum value.
Will this also help the BCCI to curb the issue of players who are retiring early so that they can play other leagues?
Arun Dhumal: Definitely. When they get the opportunity and give their best, they should be rewarded, that is the idea.
What was the need to put a cap on foreign players especially those who put their name in auction and in the end decide to skip IPL? IPL has put a ban of two years?
Arun Dhumal: It has come to our observation that at times players are not making themselves available for bigger auctions but are coming at the smaller auction so that they can get a better value.
We wanted to make sure that those who are making themselves available for a big auction are not at the receiving end. In case they are picked at the auction but somehow unable to make themselves available, they will have to give valid reasons. It is not because they are part of the auction, they get picked up for an amount and then they refuse to play. The idea is because the franchise owners and the team are working in detail to make a best team available for the tournament and every player plays an important role in whatever position he has been picked for. In case he is not making himself available, that will put the entire team in jeopardy.
It is a team game at the end of the day. So the idea is they need to show their 100 percent commitment. If they have said that I would be available then they have to be available. Otherwise, it has to be a medical reason, where the home board should also give in writing that it is a valid medical condition because of which the player is unable to join.
Why has the BCCI kept Rs 18 crore maximum fee cap for overseas players at small auction?
Arun Dhumal: If a player has been picked up at a higher value vis-a-vis Rs 18 crore per-say, the player gets only Rs 18 crore and the rest of the amount will come back to the league to the BCCI and would be utilised for players welfare. The idea is to make the maximum number of players available at the bigger auction because that is when the franchises can plan a team for three years in advance.
What was the reason for retaining impact player rule?
Arun Dhumal: Impact players have added value to the tournament. If you see the last season, the scores we had were phenomenal compared to the previous season. The idea is to give a platform to an additional batter or a bowler, so that they can perform with their skillset. One argument was the all-rounders are missing out. But if you look at it closely, all the top class all-rounders were never left out. Be it Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) or (Sunil) Narine, be it anyone. If an all-rounder wants to find a place, he has to raise the bar as an all-rounder.

So we can see MS Dhoni in the uncapped category?
Arun Dhumal: Player like MS Dhoni, it is immaterial whether he is uncapped or capped. He would anyway be the first target for any franchise.