Ind T20 League owners set to meet on April 16 

The Indian Cricket Board has called a meeting of the franchise owners of the Indian T20 League, slated on April 16 in Ahmedabad. Gujarat and Delhi will lock horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera concurrently. 

All ten owners of the Ind T20 League teams have been invited to the meeting. While its anticipated that owners may be joined by their CEOs and operational units, the meeting, expected to address important issues, is apparently specified for owners only. 

Indian Cricket Board president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah, and Ind T20 League chairman Arun Singh Dhumal will also attend the meeting. Hemag Amin, the CEO of the Indian T20 League is believed to have sent the correspondence regarding the meeting. 

Amin has not stated the agenda for the meeting, but considering the sudden nature of the invite, it is expected that the Indian Cricket Board will discuss certain policy decisions, mainly regarding the mega-auction scheduled for next year. “They will discuss the way forward for the Ind T20 League," said a source. 

The number of retentions prior to the auction will be the critical point of discussion. This topic has splitted the Ind T20 League ecosystem, with different owners holding differing views. There is no clear consensus on the number, and the Indian Cricket Board is expected to be seeking to work out a solution. 

A segment of the Ind T20 League owners thinks that the number of retentions should be increased, arguing that sides have sufficiently established themselves and bank upon continuity to strengthen their brand and fan base. As a matter of fact, some want the number to be as high as eight. 

However, another section is against  such high numerous retentions and is comfortable with a smaller number. Furthermore, there is discussion about reinitiating the Right to Match card, a mechanism used previously but stopped at the last mega-auction in 2022. During that time, only four were allowed, with a maximum of three Indians or two overseas players. 

Another significant matter of discussion will be the salary cap, a subject that always gets varying opinions among numerous groups of the Ind T20 League setup, with the Indian Cricket Board itself having a strong view. At the time of the last mini auction, the cap was specified at INR 100 crore, but it is expected to go up, given the huge boost in the teams’ central revenue share thanks to the Indian Cricket Board’s signing of astounding INR 48,390 crore broadcast deals two years ago.