Player replacement rule in IPL – Explainer

The IPL season has not yet started, and quite a few replacements have already been announced, and one has ended up in a legal suit. Chetan Sakariya for Umran Malik by Kolkata Knight Riders, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman for Allah Ghazanfar by Mumbai Indians and Wiaan Mulder for Brydon Carse by Sunrisers Hyderabad have seamlessly been replaced.

There may be a few more in the form of Shardul Thakur and Shivam Mavi for any of the three injured pacers – Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Avesh Khan – in the Lucknow Super Giants squad. Curiously enough, one replacement has run into complications with Corbin Bosch, who came in place of Lizaad Williams in the Mumbai Indians side, facing potential legal action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for alleged breach of contractual obligation. He has allegedly jumped the PSL contract for the IPL gig.

That is for later, first the rules. The Board of Control for Cricket in India allows replacements if a player suffers a season-ending injury or illness not only prior to the season but also in the middle of it. In fact, the BCCI has revised the rule this season allowing replacements till the 12th league match of the season. Earlier, it was allowed only till the seventh match.

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To come in as a Replacement Player, one must have his name been included on the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) list for the relevant season and his league fee for the full season – assuming 100 percent availability – must not be less than the reserve price set by him as documented on the RAPP list.

There are instances of franchisees having bowlers figuring in the RAPP list as net bowlers. But those franchises will have no authority to stop a player or players if another franchisee wishes to take him/them. A replacement player can be recruited at a fee that is not more than the league fee that would have been payable to the player he would be replacing.

"If a Replacement Player is recruited during a season, the League Fee actually paid to him will be reduced to take account of the Franchisee's Matches during the relevant season which took place before he was registered and any other relevant deductions under the Player Contract," the rule explains.

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The BCCI rule states, "The League Fee payable to any Replacement Player signed pursuant to this paragraph 6 will be ignored for the purpose of the Salary Cap for that Season. If a Replacement Player's Player Contract is extended in accordance with its terms, the League Fee payable to the Player for the subsequent Season will be charged against the Salary Cap for the relevant Season." The statutory IPL clauses, of course, apply here. While taking replacement players, the franchisees must remain in compliance with the squad composition regulations of 25 players.

Franchisees who take replacement players during the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons have a right (if any) to extend the term of the contract for the next applicable season. "For the avoidance of doubt, if a franchisee extends the contract of a replacement player, he shall, for any relevant subsequent season, be treated as any other player for the purpose of the squad composition regulations and the salary cap," the BCCI clarifies.

As for the mid-season replacement for an injured player, who has played a game, the regulations say…

i) The said injury or illness occurs during or before the 12th League Match of the relevant Team in the Season;

"ii) a doctor nominated by the BCCI confirms that the injury or illness is season ending (i.e. it means the Player will not be match fit until after the end of the Season (including the Playoffs));

iii) absent the injury or illness, the Player would have been available for all of the remaining Matches in the Season; and

iv) as a result of the injury or illness the Player would miss the remaining League Matches in that Season.

NB: In such circumstances, the Player who is replaced may not play for the Franchisee again in any Match during the relevant Season."

Coming back to the specifics, Mujeeb has joined MI for INR 2 Crore although he comes in place of a INR 4.8 crore player (Allah Ghazanfar). Mulder and Sakaria have been taken in by SRH and KKR for INR 75 lakh each, their base prices. But there is no mention of Bosch's value. He had enrolled in the auction for INR 30 lakh, but he went unsold. He has come in place of fellow South African Lizaad Williams, who was bought by MI for his base price of INR 75 lakh at the auction. But Bosch is believed to have had a contract for INR 50-75 lakh for being picked in the Diamond category by Peshawar Zalmi (in the USD 60,000-80,000 range) in the PSL draft.