File photo of Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran© X (Twitter)
Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan argued against hosting a mega auction ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 during the IPL owners' meeting at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The report claimed that the Bollywood superstar wanted BCCI to conduct a small auction and that led to a heated argument with Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia. However, SRK has found support in Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran. In a statement released to Cricbuzz after the meeting, Maran spoke against holding a IPL mega auction.
"It takes a lot of time to build a squad and as discussed it also takes quite a bit of time and investment for the younger players to mature. It has taken Abhishek Sharma three years to become consistent with his performances. You would agree that there are many such examples in other teams too," she said.
Kolkata Knight Riders were the IPL 2024 champions while Sunrisers Hyderabad finished runners-up.
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said it will take forward the recommendations of all ten IPL franchise owners to the tournament's governing council before finalising player regulations ahead of the IPL 2025 season.
The BCCI had called for a meeting with all ten franchise owners at its headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday evening, where thoughts related to mega auctions, player retention and impact player rule among other issues were discussed.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday organized a constructive dialogue with the owners of the 10 franchises on various subjects pertaining to the upcoming season of the TATA IPL.”
“The franchise owners tabled feedback on player regulations and other commercial aspects, including central merchandising, licensing, and gaming.
The BCCI will now take these recommendations to the IPL Governing Council for further deliberation and evaluation before formulating the IPL player regulations,” said BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.