IPL 2025 Replacement Regulations-Know When and How Teams Are Allowed to Introduce New Players

IPL is famous for its fluidity, with player injuries, international assignments, and other reasons usually inducing disruptions. To facilitate easy team management, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stipulated elaborately detailed regulations regarding player replacements. With IPL 2025 approaching, the BCCI has sent a communique to all ten franchises clarifying the guidelines surrounding player replacements, including the introduction of the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP). This article delves into these regulations, explaining when and how teams can bring in replacement players.

The Concept of Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP)

To streamline the replacement process, the BCCI has defined the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP). This list includes players who had registered themselves for the auction of the IPL but remained unsold or did not opt out of the auction process. The replacement player has to be found from this list. In case a player is working as a net bowler for a franchise but his name features on the RAPP list, he has to be released if another franchise wishes to sign him as a replacement.

Special Provision for Wicketkeepers

One such special clause in the replacement provisions refers to wicketkeepers. When a franchise has no spare wicketkeeper in its roster, it is allowed to call up a short-term replacement from outside the registered roster. But this replacement can be used only until one of the original wicketkeepers turns up. If the out-of-action wicketkeeper is an overseas player and the team has already utilized its quota of eight overseas players, the replacement has to be a domestic player.

Season-Ending Injury or Illness Replacement

A franchise can replace an injured or ill player who suffers a season-ending injury or illness, but only on certain conditions:

The injury or illness should take place before or during the team's 12th league game of the season.

A doctor appointed by the BCCI must certify that the player will not be fit to play for the rest of the season.

The injured player should have been available for the rest of the matches if the injury had not happened.

The replaced player is not allowed to rejoin the team for the rest of the season.

Full Season Unavailability

Besides injuries, other circumstances under which a player can be replaced for the whole season are:

International Obligations: If a player is not available because of national team commitments under the Future Tours Programme (FTP), he can be replaced.

No Objection Certificate (NOC) Issues: If a player's state association or national cricket board does not issue an NOC, he is unavailable.

Retirement from Professional Cricket: If a player retires from professional cricket from all formats, including domestic, but not exclusively from IPL, he can be replaced.

Other Valid Reasons: Any other cause approved by the BCCI if the board also confirms in writing that the player is fully unavailable.

In such situations, the replaced player cannot play for the franchise within the same season.

Regulations on Signing Replacement Players

A number of conditions govern the manner in which franchises sign replacements:

A franchise can hire one replacement per player who is unavailable.

The fee paid to the replacement player must be equal to or greater than the reserve price he has set during the auction.

The league fee paid to the replacement player is excluded from the team’s salary cap for that season but will count if the contract extends into the next season.

If a replacement player is signed mid-season, his salary is adjusted based on the number of matches remaining.

Franchises must get BCCI’s approval before signing a replacement player.

Replacements can only be signed after the player auction has taken place.

Effect on Squad Makeup and Salary Cap

Replacement players do not affect a team's salary cap for the season. The salary will, however, accrue towards the cap if the franchise decides to extend the contract into the subsequent season. Also, while recruiting replacements, squads have to observe squad makeup provisions as per IPL rules.

Conclusion

The replacement regulations of the IPL aim to facilitate fair play while giving teams the room for maneuver in the event of a player not being available. While short-term wicketkeeper cover remains to be used, rules pertaining to season-ending injuries and outright unavailability have found application in practice. The release of the RAPP list provides assurance in terms of openness regarding the choice of players as well as avoidance of undue advantage. As IPL 2025 progresses, teams will have to navigate these rules with caution to keep a competitive edge while remaining within the legal framework of the league.