IPL 2018 to run from April 4 to May 31

As per the recent reports, some huge announcements were recently made revolving around the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 2018 edition of the premier T20 tournament will be the 11th edition of the tournament. The reports in ESPNcricinfo suggested that some key proposals were made in New Delhi on Tuesday about the 2018 edition of IPL.

Among the most notable ones, the announcement of the dates caught the attention of many. The tournament will commence on April 4 next year and concluded after almost two months on May 31. While the announcement of dates comes as a big announcement, there was other factor about which the paparazzi and pundits kept waiting.

There have been dark clouds hovering over the player retention policies for the next edition of the tournament. Some speculated that all the players will get in to the auction pool with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals making a comeback. While there were others who felt that the teams could retain a few key players.

Proposal on player retention

Now, as per the recent reports, each of the 8 participating franchises will be allowed to retain as many as 3 players before the auctions. This would include 2 overseas players and one Indian player. This is the proposal that has been put forth in the IPL Governing Council meeting. The official announcement is yet to be made on the same and the officials are expected to discuss the same in another meeting which will be held next week.

All the final decisions about IPL 2018 will be made on November 14. If the players are retained by the franchise, it could be unfair for CSK and RR as they will have no players to retain. The two franchises were suspended a couple of years ago and their players had turned up for Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions in the mean period.