IPL Retention 2025: 'Shubh Muhurat' for franchises, cricketers as well as stock market on Diwali

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Every year, on Diwali, there is something special called a 'Muhurat' trading at the bourses in Mumbai. It is believed this is an auspicious thing and people will make money. Of course, there are people who earn and lose as well on stock exchanges.

This time, on October 31, as people all over India will prepare to light lamps/diyas and burst crackers, even though there is an official ban in many cities, another 'Muhurat' will be approaching. This is the IPL 2025 'Muhurat' where the ten team owners will announce which players they are retaining.

The 5pm deadline for Thursday is auspicious for the franchises as well as the players. This time, though, players are much bolder, if one goes by what is the buzz in cricket corridors. There are any number of takers for marquee names as well as even uncapped players, who have performed and proved themselves.

Perhaps, the only two sides which have shown a clear intent as to who they will retain is Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI). It tells you a lot about their management and values.

To treat players as special, be it Heinrich Klaasen or Pat Cummins, SRH have taken the lead. If you look at MI, there is no way Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma will be away from the franchise. The reasons are simple, these players are valuable. Everyone knows there is a total purse available of Rs 120 crores. Labels have been fixed at Rs 18 crores as maximum. No, it's wrong, the highest could go at Rs 23 crores or more.

There are some crazy franchises ready to 'break the bank,' as the saying goes. Only a fool will say Rishabh Pant does not command a big price. It would be stupid to just look at his IPL records and not his overall value as a player when the retention and auction dynamics play out, later.

People must not forget, someone like Virat Kohli, now being trolled for none-performance in the Test series against New Zealand, will always be a RCB star. He commands a price and massive respect. When an IPL insider says they can even spend Rs 50 crores on him, it was no joke. Yes, IPL salaries and total purse has been jacked up.

Do IPL owners need to tell the public on every detail of how they deal financially with the players? The answer is a firm 'no.' Virat may be a commoner when Test cricket is concerned in the eyes of fans. The same man becomes King Kohli and he is a demi-God with RCB fans.

They will not leave him. For the record, the RCB team owner will not tell you having Kohli in the side means he will bring in money for the team/franchise. This is brand value of the marquee player plus what he can bring into the team. A bit like CR7 playing in Saudi Arabia, he earns and also attracts sponsors.

Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, all these players are big. They know how to deal with team owners. When the first IPL auction happened, it was described as a 'cattle auction' by Late Peter Roebuck, celebrated cricket writer. It does not matter now, cattle or any other tag. Each player who is part of IPL wants money and gets whatever is his value.

Sample this, sides likes DC and Punjab Kings do not do well in the IPL.. Still, they have their own value, despite non-performance. This must be the only sports league in the world where despite not doing well, there is no up and down movement in the league! This is IPL.

So, how does it matter where a player is plying his trade. How does one forget, Viru Sehwag had treated Glenn Maxwell badly in the Punjab side! This has been written in a book written by Maxi himself. There are more stories of selection wrongdoing when Sehwag was in DC. So, nobody is a saint out there, please remember that.

When the October 31 'Muhurat' comes, eyes will be on Dalal Street as well as emails and press releases from IPL franchises. So, let this be a "Shubh Muhurat" for all -- cricketers and stock scrips.