MUMBAI: The watchdogs are out and operation clean-up is well and truly on to save India's biggest cricketing brand. The underhand dealing which involved unaccounted buying and selling of First Class and List 'A' cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), will now stop. The Governing Council have brought in a new regulation that states all cricketers - international and domestic - will have to be bought through the annual player auction only. In the case of overseas cricketers, franchises recommend the names of players they wish to see in the auction list. Now, an identical process will be followed for the domestic cricketers too. For instance, a First Class or List 'A' cricketer from Mumbai or Maharashtra will only be able to play in the IPL if Mumbai Indians or any other franchise would buy him in the auction. For the player to be included in the auction list, a franchise has to recommend his name to the Governing Council. The recommendation can even come from the player's state association. Under-21 players will now feature in the auction list only if they have played First Class or List 'A' cricket. Franchises have been allowed a revised, increased salary cap of Rs 60 crore for 2014 to buy players in the auction. With that amount they can buy a minimum of 16 cricketers and a maximum of 27. No team will be allowed to spend more than this amount or buy players because all the buying will have to be done in the auction. This regulation will ensure that franchises do not indulge in paying cricketers unaccounted money outside of the auction process - something that was seemingly rampant in previous seasons. The salary cap of Rs 60 crore per franchise will see an increase of 5% each year and players will have to be signed on a one-year contract to be renewed each year for three years. Each franchise can now buy only nine overseas players as opposed to the earlier figure of 10, and only four - as per the original rule - will be allowed to play in a match. Now, with auction being the sole window to buy cricketers, there can be greater scrutiny. Once the Governing Council ratifies this rule next week, franchises can start scouting names - apart from those they may want to retain - to be included in the auction list and recommend them to the BCCI. The BCCI, like it had done in the case of overseas players, will work on a tripartite agreement between itself, the player and eventually the franchise that buys him. The move will ensure that cricketers give due importance to First Class or List 'A' cricket and not get lured by the riches that the IPL has to offer. In turn, franchises will have to work on a strict budget as they plan their new team.
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