How many players can be in an IPL squad?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is perhaps the longest contested T20 tournament in the world and is one of the most popular leagues globally. It is known for its grandeur, entertainment but at the same time gives some breathtaking matches as an output. 

These are not possible without the 10 teams that are part of the league and their players. With the league being more than 2 months, there is a need for a larger squad for each of the team. So for the franchises to go through the demands of a gruelling season that involves a lot of travel, the franchises will be given a chance to build a versatile roster at the IPL auctions.

Auctions are the best time for the teams to take into consideration the dynamics of the modern game, the injuries to players and then put together a solid squad that is in accordance with the IPL’s composition structure.

What does the IPL rule book say with respect to squad size?

Each franchise can pick a maximum of 25 players in their squad and the minimum a team should have is 18 players.

The number encompasses both domestic and international stars cricketers from around the globe.

With that said, the IPL sides will come with a lot of homework to fill in those slots carefully by picking players who have the potential to create the maximum impact. They look to have enough depth in each of the 3 departments (batting, bowling, and wicket-keeping).

Out of this a maximum of 8 players can be non-Indians, meaning a team can be allowed to have up to 8 foreigners in their squad. 

To further delve down, a side can field a maximum of 11 players at a time (12^th player is considered Impact Player nowadays) and 4 of which can foreign cricketers.

What the luxury of a 25-member player squad does is, it allows teams to pick players according to various playing conditions, strategise based on their opponents and player-player matchups. Also, it enables teams to manage workload of the players effectively and gives room to rotate them, thus maintaining fitness.

This larger squad paves the way for a lot of talent, including the youngsters to be involved in thick of actions. They can learn from the established stars while adding a lot of competitiveness to the league.