How new entries are made in place of injured players in IPL… Know the complete mathematics of salary cap and 'like-for-like'

New Delhi. The 19th season of the Indian Premier League is going to start from March 28. But even before the first ball was bowled, the league was under pressure to withdraw the players' names. This year unexpectedly many big stars have pulled out of the tournament due to injury, fitness and personal reasons. This has not only spoiled the equations of the franchises, but has also opened the closed doors of luck for unsold players. Even before the start of the season, the teams have suffered major setbacks. Mainly four major reasons have emerged behind this flood of replacement.

Many key players have suffered injuries that will take months to recover. Bowlers like Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara have been refused No Objection Certificate (NOC) by their board due to fitness problems. Veterans like Mitchell Starc have been stopped by their domestic cricket board under workload management. England's Ben Duckett has surprised everyone by withdrawing his name from the IPL to focus on his international career.

math of replacement
When a player is out, the franchise has the right to select a replacement from the 'Registered Available Player Pool'. Only that player can become a replacement who has registered his name for the auction but is 'unsold'. The interesting thing is that BCCI does not make this pool public. The list of only those players appears who were shortlisted on the basis of interest from 10 franchises.
BCCI has now given big relief to the teams. Now teams can sign replacement players till their 12th league match, whereas earlier this time limit was only till the 7th match.

Salary cap and 'like-for-like' rule
According to the rules, the salary of a replacement player cannot exceed the auction price of the player he is replacing. This rule has been made so that teams do not exceed their 'salary cap'. Another important aspect is that the replacement does not have to be 'like-for-like' (bowler for bowler). The biggest example of this has been presented by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). CSK has included South African batsman Dewald Brevis in place of injured Indian fast bowler Gurjapneet Singh. Brevis has been signed at the same price (2.2 crores) that he could have got in the auction.

The sword hanging on Ben Duckett
BCCI has now become very strict against foreign players who suddenly withdraw their names. New rules have been made to protect the franchise's investment and team balance. If a foreign player sold in the auction withdraws at the last moment without any proven injury or board's permission, then he will be imposed a strict ban of 2 years. He will neither be able to play the match nor participate in the next auction. England's Ben Duckett has withdrawn his name giving priority to international cricket, but if BCCI does not consider his argument as 'extraordinary', then he may be banned for two years.

Medical rules and conditions of retention
If a player is officially replaced due to medical grounds, he is out for the entire season and cannot return. However, the franchise can retain him for the next year. Last year, BCCI had allowed 'temporary replacement' due to international commitments, but such players were not eligible for retention for the next year. This year's strict rules have made the teams more cautious.