Franchises participating in the upcoming IPL mini-auction will not have the option to use the Right to Match (RTM) card to buy back released players.

The RTM mechanism is not applicable in a mini-auction format. This provision is reserved exclusively for mega auctionswhere teams are allowed to retain a core group of players and use RTM cards to match the highest bid for certain released players.

In a mini-auction, all players who enter the auction pool are treated equally, and franchises must compete purely through open bidding. Once a player is released and goes under the hammer, the team that places the highest bid secures the player, with no preferential rights for the former franchise.

As a result, teams that released players ahead of this auction will have to outbid rival franchises if they wish to re-sign them. Strategic purse management and bidding discipline will therefore play a crucial role, especially for franchises with limited budgets.

In summary, RTM cards cannot be used in the IPL mini-auctionand franchises must rely entirely on their available purse and auction strategy to build their squads.