At least a couple of high-profile IPL players have informed their respective franchises that they will only agree to stay on as retained players for the 2028 mega auction if they receive INR 40 crore. The demands, which surfaced ahead of the November 17 retention deadline for IPL 2027, represent a significant escalation in player valuations and place considerable pressure on franchise budgets.

The INR 40 crore figure is notably higher than anything seen at the 2025 mega auction, where the BCCI prescribed retention slabs of INR 11 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 18 crore. In at least one instance, the INR 40 crore demand is also tied to a captaincy condition, adding a non-financial dimension to the negotiation.

The IPL 2027 mini-auction is scheduled for December 16, 2026, in Goa, and IPL 2027 will be the final cycle before the 2028 mega auction. The retention deadline for IPL 2027 was extended to November 17, 2026, from the original date of November 15, 2026. There is no cap on the number of retentions a franchise can make for the IPL 2027 mini-auction.

Why are players demanding INR 40 crore when the 2025 auction ceiling was far lower?

The context for these demands lies in what happened when players chose the auction route over retention at the 2025 mega auction. Rishabh Pant declined a retention offer and went under the hammer, with Lucknow Super Giants bidding INR 27 crore to secure him. Shreyas Iyer similarly opted against retention and fetched INR 26.75 crore at that same auction. Both figures comfortably exceeded the highest prescribed retention slab of INR 18 crore, demonstrating that the open market rewarded players who rejected fixed retention fees.

Going further, overseas players also commanded sums well above the prescribed slabs. Heinrich Klaasen was bought for INR 23 crore and Nicholas Pooran for INR 21 crore at the 2025 mega auction, both exceeding the retention ceiling that BCCI had set. Although the retention slabs were designed to give franchises cost certainty, the auction results showed that elite players could earn significantly more by entering the pool freely.

The total franchise purse at the 2025 mega auction stood at INR 120 crore per side. The purse for the 2027 season has been confirmed at INR 130 crore. Whether the purse will rise further for the 2028 mega auction is not yet formally confirmed, though it is expected to increase to around INR 150 crore per franchise. The historical trajectory supports that expectation: the IPL purse was INR 20 crore in the inaugural 2008 season, rose to INR 60 crore in 2014, climbed to INR 80 crore in 2018, reached INR 90 crore in 2022 and then jumped to INR 120 crore for the 2025 mega auction.

How did the 2025 retention cost structure work, and what precedent does it set?

Retaining players at the 2025 mega auction came with a fixed deduction from a franchise’s available purse. A franchise retaining five players had INR 75 crore deducted from its overall purse before bidding began.

“If the combined amount exceeded INR 75 crore, the actual amount was deducted. If it was lower, the deduction remained INR 75 crore,” the rule stated as quoted by Cricbuzz.

This structure meant that franchises retaining players at the prescribed slabs of INR 11 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 18 crore would always face the minimum INR 75 crore deduction regardless of the combined total falling short. However, if a franchise retained players whose combined value crossed INR 75 crore, the full combined figure was deducted instead. The BCCI has not yet announced what the retention rules or deduction slabs will look like for the 2028 mega auction.

With players now signalling demands of INR 40 crore per head for the next mega auction cycle, franchises face a difficult calculation. A single retention at that price would consume more than a quarter of the expected INR 150 crore purse, leaving considerably less room to build a squad through the auction. The 2025 experience, where players like Pant and Iyer earned INR 27 crore and INR 26.75 crore respectively by going to auction, has clearly shaped player expectations for the cycle ahead.

Cricket West Indies confirmed their international retainer contracts for the 2026-27 season on November 5, 2026. Fifteen senior men and 15 senior women received retainer deals, while three men were handed development contracts. All agreements run from October 1, 2026 through to September 2027.

Shai Hope continues as ODI and T20I captain for the men’s side, with Roston Chase leading the Test team. Hayley Matthews retains the captaincy of the senior women’s squad. Among the men, Roston Chase, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves and Jomel Warrican are entering the final year of two-year contracts. On the women’s side, Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry are also in the last year of their respective two-year deals. CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe addressed the purpose behind the contracts.

“Every one of these contracts is tied to a job in front of us. For the men, the first job is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in February, and we go there with every intention of making it through. For the women, it is the Pakistan ODIs in December, which give us the chance to own automatic qualification for the next ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Matthew, Amir and Mandy have earned their places in that work, and John has earned his way back,” said Bascomber as quoted by ICC.

Which players are receiving their first international retainer contracts?

John Campbell, Matthew Forde and Amir Jangoo are each picking up their first senior international retainer contracts in the men’s group. For Campbell, this marks his first such deal since 2019. The opener returned to the ODI side in September 2026 and struck a 68-ball 101 against India in Guwahati. Before that recall, he had scored a maiden Test century of 115 against India in Delhi in October 2025.

Matthew Forde has been West Indies’ leading powerplay wicket-taker across white-ball cricket, claiming 10 wickets in T20Is and 6 in ODIs. Amir Jangoo posted a career-best 233 against Sri Lanka in Antigua in June 2026. He and Chase also set a world record sixth-wicket partnership of 401 in Tests. Jangoo further scored an unbeaten 111 against Bangladesh on Day 2 of a WTC Test in Sylhet.

On the women’s side, Mandy Mangru is receiving her first international retainer contract. She was part of the West Indies women’s squad that reached the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026. The women’s group will next prepare for a December ODI series against Pakistan under interim head coach Andre Coley, with automatic qualification for the next ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at stake.

Ackeem Auguste and Vitel Lawes are also receiving their first international contracts, both awarded men’s development deals alongside Jewel Andrew.

West Indies senior men’s retainer contracts:

John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase (Test captain), Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope (ODI and T20I captain), Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican

Men’s development contracts:

Jewel Andrew, Ackeem Auguste, Vitel Lawes

West Indies senior women’s retainer contracts:

Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Jahzara Claxton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Realeanna Grimmond, Shawnisha Hector, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Hayley Matthews (captain), Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor

The ICC announced its Player of the Month nominees for October 2026 on November 5, with three men and three women shortlisted on the basis of performances recorded between October 1 and October 31. The men’s nominees are South Africa’s Marco Jansen, Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas and West Indies captain Shai Hope, while the women’s shortlist features Bangladesh’s Sobhana Mostary, Australia’s Annabel Sutherland and India’s Deepti Sharma.

Marco Jansen had a commanding October in Test cricket, accumulating 198 runs and claiming 13 wickets across the month. His standout contribution came in the 2nd Test against Australia, where he struck 85 runs and returned figures of 5/33 and 1/34. Those performances lifted him to the top of the ICC Men’s Test all-rounders’ rankings, making him the first South African to hold that position since Kagiso Rabada led the bowlers’ table in 2024 and since Vernon Philander topped the all-rounders’ list in August 2014.

Arafat Minhas, the 21-year-old left-arm spinning all-rounder, was named Player of the Series in the Pakistan Tri-Series. He scored 149 runs at a strike rate of 119.20 and took 9 wickets at an economy of 5.13 across the tournament. His most impactful individual displays came against England, where he took 6 wickets for 40 runs, and against Sri Lanka in Lahore, where he struck 61 off 59 balls and contributed 31 in the final.

Shai Hope produced three unbeaten centuries during October, amassing 261 runs across five T20Is against India at a strike rate of 190.51. He struck 162 not out in the first match at New Chandigarh and followed that with 102 not out in the second match at Ranchi. He also remained unbeaten in the fourth T20I at Hyderabad, underlining a remarkable run of form for the West Indies captain.

Who are the women’s nominees and what did they achieve in October?

Deepti Sharma earned her nomination through an all-round showing in India’s ICC Women’s Championship ODI series against Zimbabwe at home, which India won 3-0. She scored 106 not out with the bat and took 5 wickets at an economy of 3.42 across the three ODIs. In the T20I series that preceded the ODIs, Sharma also contributed 49 runs off 37 balls and picked up 2 wickets in three matches against Zimbabwe. She had previously won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award in December 2023.

Sobhana Mostary made history for Bangladesh women during the ICC Women’s Championship series in Australia. She struck 118 off 134 balls in the 2nd ODI at Brisbane, which stands as the highest score by a Bangladesh woman batter against Australia. She finished the series with 129 runs at a strike rate of 73.71.

Annabel Sutherland contributed with both bat and ball as Australia swept Bangladesh 3-0 in the ODI series. She scored 99 runs at a strike rate of 132.00 and took 6 wickets at an economy of 4.12 across the three matches. Her best individual performance came in the 1st ODI, where she returned figures of 4/30, and she added 74 not out in the 3rd ODI. In the T20I series against New Zealand that also fell within October, Sutherland scored 19 runs and took 1 wicket across three matches.