At least two high-profile IPL players have told their franchises they will accept retention for the 2028 mega auction only at INR 40 crore. The demand, surfaced before the November 17 retention deadline for IPL 2027, is more than double the 2025 top slab of INR 18 crore.
What Is Behind the INR 40 Crore Demand?
The demands emerged ahead of the IPL 2027 retention deadline, which was extended from November 15 to November 17, 2026. In at least one case, the INR 40 crore figure is linked to a captaincy condition.
That adds a non-financial element to the negotiation. Franchises must now weigh leadership roles alongside budget impact.
Key Dates and Rules for IPL 2027
The IPL 2027 mini-auction is scheduled for December 16, 2026, in Goa. It is the final cycle before the 2028 mega auction, and there is no cap on retentions for the mini-auction.
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Original retention deadline | November 15, 2026 |
| Revised retention deadline | November 17, 2026 |
| IPL 2027 mini-auction | December 16, 2026 (Goa) |
| Retention cap for 2027 | None |
| 2027 franchise purse | INR 130 crore |
How the 2025 Auction Shaped Player Expectations
Players who rejected retention in 2025 were paid well above the prescribed slabs of INR 11 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 18 crore. The open market rewarded those who entered the pool.
Rishabh Pant fetched INR 27 crore from Lucknow Super Giants. Shreyas Iyer went for INR 26.75 crore. Both exceeded the top slab by roughly 49 to 50 percent.
2025 Auction Prices vs the Retention Ceiling
Overseas players also cleared the INR 18 crore ceiling. The table compares each price with the top slab and with the reported INR 40 crore demand.
| Player | 2025 Price (INR crore) | Above INR 18 crore slab | Gap to INR 40 crore |
|---|
| Rishabh Pant | 27.00 | +9.00 (50.0%) | 13.00 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 26.75 | +8.75 (48.6%) | 13.25 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | 23.00 | +5.00 (27.8%) | 17.00 |
| Nicholas Pooran | 21.00 | +3.00 (16.7%) | 19.00 |
Even the highest 2025 price sits INR 13 crore below the new ask. The demand is a 48 percent premium on Pant's INR 27 crore.
Purse Growth: A Historical Comparison
The salary purse has expanded steadily, which partly supports rising demands. It grew from INR 20 crore in 2008 to INR 120 crore in 2025, a sixfold increase.
The 2027 purse is INR 130 crore, up 8.3 percent on 2025. The 2028 purse is expected to reach about INR 150 crore, though this is not formally confirmed.
IPL Purse Trajectory
| Year | Purse per franchise (INR crore) | Change from previous point |
|---|
| 2008 | 20 | Baseline |
| 2014 | 60 | +200.0% |
| 2018 | 80 | +33.3% |
| 2022 | 90 | +12.5% |
| 2025 | 120 | +33.3% |
| 2027 | 130 | +8.3% |
| 2028 (expected) | 150 | +15.4% |
A projected rise to INR 150 crore would be smaller in percentage terms than the 33 percent jumps seen in 2018 and 2025. The INR 40 crore demand is growing faster than the purse.
The 2025 Deduction Rule and Budget Impact
In 2025, a franchise retaining five players had INR 75 crore deducted from its purse. If the combined retention value exceeded INR 75 crore, the actual total was deducted instead.
This rule means one INR 40 crore retention would absorb about 26.7 percent of an expected INR 150 crore purse. It would also equal 53 percent of the INR 75 crore deduction applied to five retentions in 2025.
Cost Comparison for Franchises
| Scenario | Cost (INR crore) | Share of INR 150 crore purse |
|---|
| One retention at 2025 top slab | 18 | 12.0% |
| One retention at reported demand | 40 | 26.7% |
| Five retentions, 2025 minimum deduction | 75 | 50.0% |
| Two retentions at INR 40 crore each | 80 | 53.3% |
Two retentions at the reported price would exceed the entire 2025 minimum deduction. The BCCI has not yet announced retention rules or deduction slabs for the 2028 mega auction.
Analytical Outlook
The 2025 results show that top players can earn 17 to 50 percent above the retention ceiling at auction. The INR 40 crore ask goes well beyond that range.
Franchises will weigh cost certainty against squad depth. Final retention rules from the BCCI will determine whether such demands are workable.