Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had a heated exchange with Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia during the IPL owners’ meeting at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday, according to a Cricbuzz report. The disagreement centered around the number of player retentions each team should be allowed ahead of the mega auction. Shah Rukh Khan opposed the idea of holding a mega auction before IPL 2025, while Wadia strongly supported a complete overhaul with minimal retentions for each team, a stance that did not sit well with Khan.
Other team owners present at the meeting included Kiran Kumar Grandhi of Delhi Capitals, Sanjiv Goenka of Lucknow Super Giants, Rupa Gurunath of Chennai Super Kings, Kavya Maran of SunRisers Hyderabad, and Manoj Badale of Rajasthan Royals. The Ambanis of Mumbai Indians attended the BCCI meeting via video conference.
During the previous IPL season, eight 250-plus totals were recorded, including the highest-ever total of 287 runs posted by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Critics, players, and experts have expressed dissatisfaction with the Impact Player rule, attributing the surge in high scores to this rule and claiming it stunts the growth of all-rounders. Teams often prefer using a specialist batter or bowler in this role rather than an all-rounder.
The Impact Player rule, introduced in the 2023 season, allows teams to pick an extra specialist batter or bowler depending on the situation. This rule has contributed to nine of the ten highest totals in the league’s history, showcasing the increased flexibility and power it provides to teams.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has also criticized the rule, stating that it hinders the development of all-rounders, which is crucial for India’s T20I strategy.
