Sun TV retains 20 players for Hyderabad’s IPL franchise

Mumbai : The Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL), owned by Sun TV, retained 20 players in their initial squad for the 2013 season of the cash-rich Twenty20 league, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Thursday.

Sun TV has decided to retain six overseas players like Dale Steyn, Jean Paul Duminy, Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron White, Chris Lynn and Juan Theron. The new owners have spent $5 million and still have a budget of $7 million in their kitty.

“The franchises have clearly focussed on performance in the IPL in making their decisions as to which players will form part of their respective core groups for the 2013 season. Each Franchise has room under the salary cap to be able to sign additional players, either by trading or in the auction or, in the case of uncapped Indian players, by direct agreement with the player in question,” said Rajeev Shukla, IPL chairman.

Each franchise has a salary cap of up to $12.5 million to spend on their 2013 squad of up to 33 players, of whom a maximum of 11 can be from overseas. Only four overseas players can figure in the starting XI for any match. Nine IPL franchises have retained 179 players.

The trading window will open Monday. Franchises will also be able to sign uncapped Indian players, including the 52 players whose contracts were not extended.

The franchises now also have the option of re-signing the players who they took as temporary replacements in 2012.