The rules governing player replacement are therefore of immense significance to all the participating franchises.

Many players have made their exits due to reasons such as needing months to recover from their injuries, not receiving fitness clearances like Nuwan Thushara or simply not being released by their home boards like Mitchell Starc or Ben Duckett.

With the recent exit of players, franchises will be looking to replace them swiftly. Unsold players from the IPL auction have also received a golden opportunity.

As per IPL rules teams have the option to make full-season replacements once a player is ruled out, but the replacement has to be registered through the Registered Available Player pool (RAPP). RAPPs comprise players who registered for the auction but were not acquired by any team during the auction proceedings.

The list of RAPPs are kept confidential and is not publicly disclosed by the BCCI. Only a finalized list is sent to all the franchises before the auctions based on the teams' needs.

Key Rules Teams Must Follow for Replacement Players

• Unlike the previous seasons where players could be signed until their 7th league match, this year, teams have the flexibility to sign a replacement until their 12th league match of the IPL season.
• A new player being signed cannot have an auction value higher than the released player. This helps the teams stick to their purse limits and salaries as stated in the player contracts.
• Once a player is replaced for an injury or a medical reason they cannot play in any of the following league matches of the season. They can, however, play in the next edition of the IPL if the team retains the player.
• Replacement players don't need to be of the same profile as the released player. For instance, a batter could be replaced by a bowler and vice-versa.

One of the best examples of this is, South African batter Dewald Brevis who was acquired by Chennai Super Kings as a replacement for the injured Indian pacer Gurjapneet Singh for a sum of 2.2 crore, equivalent to the released player's price.

With numerous players making their way out, all of these rules will have a great impact on the respective franchise squads, giving the emerging and previously overlooked players a chance to represent their teams on the IPL stage.