Rishabh Pant and Priyansh Arya [Source: @RP17Gang, @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]
The Delhi Premier League (DPL T20) is back for Season 2. With the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) officially dropping the hammer on rules, player categories and purse details for both the men’s and women’s player auctions, the excitement in the Capital’s cricketing circles is through the roof.
This year’s auctions will be held on July 6 (Men’s) and July 7 (Women’s) in New Delhi and will be live-streamed on FanCode. And by the looks of it, fans are in for a mega upgrade.
In what’s being hailed as a progressive move, the DDCA has made it clear that cricketing talent has no age cap. Players across all age brackets, including U-16 hopefuls, are eligible to be picked in the auctions. This bold call is set to boost grassroots talent and open the floodgates for young guns to share the dressing room with some of Indian cricket’s finest.
DPL 2025: Men’s Player Auction
Each of the six DPL 2025 franchises will walk into the auction room with INR 1.5 crore in their kitty.
Here is how the player pool is stacked:
- Marquee Set: 19 players who have either played for India or featured in the IPL
- Category A: 35 DDCA-registered first-class and ex-IPL players
- Category B: 105 U-23, U-19 & U-16 cricketers
- Category C: 361 regional league players
Retention Rules Simplified
Each of the original six franchises can retain one player from any of the four categories. But it will cost them:
- Marquee: INR 21 Lakhs
- Category A: INR 10 Lakhs
- Category B: INR 4.5 Lakhs
- Category C: INR 1.5 Lakhs
RTM Rules
Each team gets one Right To Match (RTM) card but there is a catch. You can use it only for Category A, B or C players. Marquee players are off-limits. Also, the new franchises don’t get to use RTM cards at all.
New Franchises Not Left Behind
The two new franchises on the block will get to pick one player post retentions, from any category. The team willing to spend more gets first pick.
DPL 2025: Women’s Player Auction
The auction purse for the DPL 2025 women’s franchises is INR 75 lakhs each. Here's how the player list breaks down:
- Marquee Set: 7 players, including India representatives and top DDCA talent
- Category A: 18 first-class players
- Category B: 34 U-23 and U-19 players
- Category C: 96 regional league players
Retention Rules For Women’s Auction
One player retention allowed per team with deductions as follows:
- Marquee: INR 10.5 Lakhs
- Category A: INR 6 Lakhs
- Category B: INR 2.5 Lakhs
- Category C: INR 1 Lakh
One RTM Per Franchise
Just like in the men’s setup, each women’s team gets one RTM, again, only for Category A, B, or C.
Meanwhile, with rules, purse details and marquee names confirmed, DPL Season 2’s auctions are set to grab headlines. Expect drama, strategy, and some serious bidding wars as franchises battle it out for Delhi cricketing supremacy.