IPL 2018: Team wise players worth the Right to Match (RTM) Cards

When it comes to the shortest format of the game, the frenzy over the Indian Premier League (IPL) is unparalleled. The curiosity and excitement surrounding the star-studded tournament starts months before the commencement of the matches and this time around, it’s no different. In fact, the madness might just have been stepped up a notch for the eleventh edition of the gala championship, with the two high-profile franchises, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) all set to make a grand comeback in the tournament.

The eleventh edition of the IPL in 2018 has piqued anticipation amongst fans with the intricate rules of Player Retention and Right to Match (RTM) cards. While the directly retained players’ list of the various franchises was announced on January 4, it’s yet to be seen how each team utilises their remaining RTMs on the day of the auction. For those who still are somewhat befuddled by the concept of RTM, here’s the deal for you.

Concept of Right to Match (RTM) cards deconstructed

Say a certain player used to play for Team A in the previous season but hasn’t been retained this time around. During the auction, the same player gets the highest bid from Team B as the signing amount. At that point of time, if Team A has a change of heart (and more importantly, is able to fetch the required amount from their existing purse), they can use their RTM card to secure the player for Team B’s winning bid.

By means of judicious permutation and the combination of both direct retention and RTM, each franchise will be able to keep 5 players in their side. The maximum number of RTMs available to each side will be 3. Further, the basic thumb rule of a maximum 3 capped Indian players, maximum 2 overseas players and maximum 2 uncapped players will have to be maintained in case of any sort of retention, be it direct or via RTM.

Let’s take a look at how many RTMs each team has left and how they might use them:

Kolkata Knight Riders

2-time trophy-winning team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a bold move when they chose not to directly retain their long-time skipper, Gautam Gambhir this time around. Instead, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise chose to buy back the sensational Caribbean duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.

RTMs remaining: 3

The catch here is that the star franchise cannot retain players like Trent Boult, Shakib Al Hasan or Chris Lynn as they’ve already attained their quota of 2 overseas players.

Possible RTM usage:

Manish Pandey: The first, evident choice for retention via RTM will be Manish Pandey, who ended the 2017 edition of the tournament as the highest scorer for KKR and 7th highest overall, with 396 runs in 13 innings.

Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf has been a reliable source of strength for the KKR squad for years now and he’ll be an obvious choice for an RTM with his run tally of 143 runs last time around, including the highest score of 59.

Kuldeep Yadav: Chinaman bowler, Kuldeep has been a sensational find for India and in 2017 IPL, he managed to scalp 12 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 8.29. His ability to befuddle the batsman may work in his favour and get him an RTM card.