IPL 2025- What is RTM card? What are the new rules associated with it? (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
The coveted IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League) mega auction is set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25, respectively. One of the interesting aspects of this two-day event will be the use of the Right To Match (RTM) cards that are available to eight of the 10 teams.
The RTM cards were ditched in the previous mega auction ahead of IPL 2022 but they have made a comeback this year as a lot of teams were interested in sticking to their core players. The IPL Governing Council allowed the teams to retain a maximum of six players ahead of the mega auction in the Middle East. They could retain their desired set of players directly or wait for the auction to use the RTM cards to bring them back.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were the only two teams to retain their full quota of six players before the auction. Therefore, these two teams will not have RTM cards at their disposal at the auction table. The rest of the teams have at least one or more RTM cards available to them. They can use these cards to bring back some of their former players back into their sides.
Which team can use the most RTM cards in IPL 2025 mega auction?
Franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) will have the luxury of using as many as four RTM cards during the mega auction. The Punjab-based franchise won 18 and lost 24 out of the 42 matches they played in the last three seasons. The management decided to go for a complete overhaul as they retained just two players – Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh ahead of the auction.
Also Read: IPL Auction 2025: What is the accelerated process in mega auction? Explained
New alteration to RTM card use
When a team uses an RTM card, the original bidder gets one final chance to raise their bid. If the original bidder raises their bid, the team using the RTM card must match it to keep the player. If the team using the RTM card decides against matching the bid, the original bidder gets the player and the team previously wanting to use the RTM card keeps it for later.