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{A/N: Prepare for a massive rollercoaster ride. Everything you know is about to change. I have warned you.}
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One week had passed. The grass stains on his jersey had been washed away, but the weight of the last month still sat on Rocky's shoulders.
He was back in his roots, to his ho, staying with his Grandma.
The morning began with a visit to the local temple.
Rocky had stood in the queue like everyone else, though the whispers started within minutes.
"Is that him? That Rudra?"
By the ti they left, a small crowd had gathered, but his Grandma simply waved them off with a stern look, protecting her grandson's peace.
Now, Rocky found himself lazing on the shaded concrete porch, his eyes drifting aimlessly while a brass plate heaped with warm, golden-brown Arisha Pitha—crisp on the outside with jaggery and sesa, yet comforting and soft within—sat completely untouched in front of him.
His phone buzzed incessantly against the table.
Amidst the notifications, a formal invitation had arrived from the BCCI, but it was the secondary, personal text ssage that made his breath catch completely in his throat. It was from the Master himself.
"Rocky, the journey ends at Wankhede. Nov 14-18. I want you there in the pavilion. We have one last walk to take. — Sachin Paaji."
The news was already detonating across sports networks and social dia feeds globally:
Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test match against the West Indies would serve as his official, final farewell to the ga he had dominated for over two decades.
Rocky just stared blankly at the glowing dates on his screen, his mind struggling to comprehend that he had just been granted exclusive passage into what would undoubtedly beco the most emotionally charged room in the entire history of Indian cricket.
In just a few short weeks, he would bear witness the farewell of the GOD OF CRICKET...Live.
___
Scene then shifted to The MI War Room.
The atmosphere in the Mumbai Indians' headquarters was the polar opposite of Cuttack.
It was toxic with frustration.
John Wright, the head coach of Mumbai Indians, slamd his hand on the mahogany table, the sound echoing like a gunshot.
"Akash, don't you understand?!"
Wright's face was flushed red and he didn't care about keeping his voice quiet even infront of his Boss's son.
"This isn't an auction. It's a targeted assassination of our scouting system! We spent years finding these boys. We found Rocky in the mud even though it was just a few months ago.. We found Bumrah when no one knew his na. And now? The BCCI wants to take them to the market?"
He turned to Rahul Sanghvi, his eyes narrowed.
"Rahul, explain it to Akash. So he can understand the trouble we're in. This 'Rocky Rule' is a death sentence for our formation."
Sanghvi sighed, looking at the docunts on the screen.
"Akash is right, John.. The BCCI is feeling the heat from the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. They urgently need to look 'transparent.' By introducing the Uncapped Player Auction, they're trying to be fair. They know that if Rocky goes into the auction, he's not going for 10 Lakhs. He's going for 10 Crores. Every team, RCB, CSK, KKR, they'll bid just to drain our purse."
John Wright let out a cynical laugh.
"BCCI is clearly shifting lilight from the spot-fixing. They're using our kid as a shield to show they're 'cleaning up' the ga. It's a joke!"
Akash Ambani finally looked up.
He looked exhausted, his phone flickering with ssages from the BCCI top brass.
"Look, John, Rahul you too. Let's be real here," Akash said, his voice calm but strained. "We never thought Rocky's rise to fa would do this, especially not this fast. I'm angry too. But as my dad advised , it's best not to touch BCCI nerves during this period. There are too many internal clean-ups happening. I don't want the authorities looking too closely at us just because we're fighting for one player."
He leaned forward, pointing at the new draft. "They're calling it the "ga Auction 2014 Frawork."
For the first ti:
1. No Private Signings: Every dostic uncapped player must be registered for the auction.
2. The RTM (Right to Match): We get a card to match the final bid, but if soone bids 12 Crores for Rocky, we have to pay 12 Crores.
3. The 3rd point 'Rocky Rule': A specific clause stating that any player with a 'Senior International Equivalent Performance' in the CLT20 must have a higher base price."
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(A/N: It's not over yet...)
___
dia & Expert Reactions
The news of the "Rocky Rule" hit the headlines like a bomb.
Harsha Bhogle (On Twitter): "The 2014 ga Auction will be rembered for one thing: the end of the 'Discovery Era.' By forcing players like Rocky Rudra and Jasprit Bumrah into the open market, the BCCI has effectively ended under-the-table recruitnt. It's fair, but for MI, it's a heartbreak. They found the diamond. Now they have to buy it back at full price."
The Tis of India Headline:
"THE ROCKY RULE: How a 18-year-old forced the BCCI to change the IPL Constitution."
Navjot Singh Sidhu (On News24):
"Thoko Taali! The BCCI is playing a ga of chess, but Rocky is the only Queen on the board! Mumbai Indians want to keep him in a locker, but the BCCI has thrown the keys into the ocean! It's going to be a bloodbath in the upcoming auction room in February!"
___
Back in Cuttack...
Rocky's phone rang. It was an unknown number from Mumbai.
Probably an agent. Or maybe soone from the MI camp giving him the "bad news" that he was no longer a 10 Lakh player, but a target for the entire world.
Yes, he heard it...the rule on his na and he shrugged casually because he was going to put his na in the auction either way.
___
The "Rocky Rule" & The 2014 Frawork (by author)
Official BCCI Circular: Andnt to the IPL 2014 Player Regulations
1. Mandatory Auction Entry: No franchise can renew or extend private contracts for uncapped players from the 2013 season. All such players, regardless of prior loyalty, are released into the 2014 ga Auction.
2. The "Senior Equivalent" Base Price: While standard uncapped players choose a base price between ₹10L–₹30L, any player who has scored more than 500 runs or taken 20 wickets in a single T20 season (IPL/CLT20) is classified as "Elite Uncapped." Their base price is automatically set at ₹50 Lakhs.
3. The Retention Trap: A team can retain up to 5 players. However, if they retain an "Elite Uncapped" player (Rocky), it counts as a ₹4 Crore deduction from their purse.
4. The RTM Limitation: Since MI is retaining 5 senior stars (Rohit, Malinga, Pollard, Bhajji, Rayudu), they are granted only ONE Right-to-Match (RTM) card.
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(A/N: More to co, wait...😂)
___
The Fan Wars: Social dia & Street Talk
The "Anti-MI" Alliance (RCB, CSK, KKR and other teams Fans):
@NammaRCB_Fan: "LMAO! MI thought they could hide Rocky in their basent forever. The Rocky Rule is the best thing BCCI has ever done. Imagine Kohli, Gayle, AB, and Rocky in one team. It's not a batting lineup. It's a war cri! #RockyToRCB"
@WhistlePodu_Chennai: "John Wright must be crying because he can't buy talent for peanuts anymore. MI scouted him? Great. Now pay the market price or watch him wear Yellow. MS Dhoni Rocky = 2014 Trophy loading."
@dhoni__007: "Although we hate him for performing against us in 3 most important gas, denying 2 trophies. We'll forgive you, if you wear yellow 💛"
The Joke on the Streets:
"MI has one RTM card and two 'Diamonds' (Bumrah and Rocky). It's like a father having to choose which twin to save from a fire. Sorry, Bumrah, but Rocky is the Queen on the board!"
The "MI Paltan" Heartbreak:
@MumbaiPaltan_Official:
"This is daylight robbery. We found him. We nurtured him. Now we are being punished for being too good at scouting? The 'Rocky Rule' is just a way for other teams to steal our hard work."
Fan Forum Debate:
"If we retain Rayudu, we lose the chance to use RTM on Rocky because we'll only have one card left. But if we don't retain Rayudu, our middle order collapses if we lose the bidding war for Rocky. BCCI has put us in a checkmate."
"Wait, bcci even said they're still updating the rules. Maybe...just maybe they'll favor us."
___
Back in the War Room, John Wright stares at a mock-auction spreadsheet.
"Look at this!" he gestures to the screen. "If we retain the core five, we have ₹21 Crore. If RCB or Delhi takes Rocky's bidding to ₹8 Crore, and we use our only RTM to save him... we are left with ₹13 Crore to buy seventeen more players."
"Don't forget that they're not going to let us buy the rest without inflating the price."
Rahul Sanghvi landed the final blow:
"And if we do that, we don't have an RTM for Bumrah. Delhi is already sharking around him. They know we can't save both."
John Wright looks out the window toward the Arabian Sea.
"The BCCI did more than just changing the rules. They built a cage specifically for us, and they used Rocky as the bars."
___
They sat there in total silence, completely exhausted, racking their brains for any possible loophole or compromise that would let them keep both. Every idea they threw out felt weak, and the stakes were too high to risk a mistake.
The air in the room grew thick and heavy, the kind of suffocating pressure that makes your chest feel tight and makes every clock tick sound deafeningly loud. Nobody wanted to move, nobody wanted to blink, and nobody wanted to admit they were completely stuck.
Then, the tension vanished. It didn't fade out or slowly dissipate, it shattered into a million pieces.
If the first set of rules was a warning shot, the "Clause 3.1" update was a full-scale tactical bombardnt.
The MI War Room:
A sharp *ping* echoed simultaneously from every smartphone in the room.
Rahul Sanghvi looked at his screen, went pale, and nearly dropped his tablet.
"It's not just a rule, John," Sanghvi's voice was a ghost of a whisper. "It's a trap. Look at the addendum. Clause 3.1... the Diamond Tier clause."
John Wright snatched the tablet.
As he read the words "ineligible for pre-auction retention," his face shifted from anger to a cold, terrifying realization.
"They've completely neutralized us," Wright said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register.
"If we use the RTM on Rocky, we lose the legal right to save Jasprit. The BCCI has basically told us we can keep the heart of our batting or the future of our bowling, but we can't have both. They want us to choose which child to abandon in front of the whole world. This is a public execution."
Akash Ambani walked to the window, looking out at the Mumbai skyline.
The weight of the decision was visible in the set of his shoulders. "And every other owner knows it. Mallya, Preity, Srini Mama... they aren't going to bid for Rocky because they think they can get him. They're going to bid to make sure that when we do use RTM on him, we have zero purse left to buy back a single soul from our 2013 squad. We'll have Rocky Rudra... and ten empty jerseys."
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The "Rocky Rule" (Official BCCI Addendum)
Clause 3.1: Mandatory Market Evaluation
"Any uncapped player who achieves a 'Diamond Tier' performance (defined as 600 runs in an IPL/CLT20 cycle) is ineligible for pre-auction retention. Such players represent a unique market asset and must be placed in the 2014 ga Auction to determine their fair market value. The incumbent franchise may only re-acquire the player via the Right to Match (RTM) process."
___
Back to topic
In the MI War Room, the silence was deafening.
John Wright looked like he had aged ten years.
"It's a pincer movent," Rahul Sanghvi whispered, tapping the tablet.
"By banning Rocky's retention, the BCCI has guaranteed a bidding war. Every team knows we have to use our RTM on him. They will bid him up to 8, 9, maybe 10 Crores just to bleed our purse dry."
"And the kicker?" John Wright's voice was low and dangerous, even though he knew nothing could be, he still had a tiny bit of hope.
"If we use that one RTM on Rocky, Bumrah is gone. The mont the hamr falls on Rocky, we lose the right to have Jasprit. Delhi, RCB, and CSK are going to hunt Bumrah like wolves the second they see us flash that RTM card for Rocky and vice-versa."
"We know that BCCI will definitely intervene just to make us RTM on one."
___
The "Rocky Rule" was the only thing playing on every sports channel in the country that day.
On Cricbuzz Live, the panel looked like they were discussing a national crisis.
Harsha Bhogle:
"Let's be blunt: The BCCI has turned Rocky Rudra into a 'Financial Grenade.' They've pulled the pin and tossed it into the MI dugout. If you're a rival CEO, your strategy is simple: 'Operation Bleed Blue.' You bid Rocky up to $1.5 million or $2 million. You force Mumbai to match it. And the mont they do, you pivot and snatch Bumrah while Mumbai is still doing the math on their remaining purse. It's the most brilliant, most cruel piece of engineering I've seen in IPL history."
Simon Doull (on Sky Sports):
"It's a vendetta, isn't it? The other franchises complained that Mumbai's scouting was 'too good.' So the BCCI changed the laws of physics to stop them. They're effectively taxing Mumbai for being smart. It's absolute madness."
___
#RudraOrBumrah
The fan theories on Twitter and WhatsApp were reaching fever pitch.
The "Blue Paltan" was divided into two warring camps:
@IPL_Theorist: "Listen to , this is the plan: RCB will bid 10Cr for Rocky just to make MI broke. Then they'll take Bumrah for 4Cr because MI won't have the RTM left. This is a scripted execution of the MI Dynasty. I love this. #BCCIGaPlan"
@Mumbai_Madness: "If we lose Rocky, we lose our identity. If we lose Bumrah, we lose our future. Why is Clause 3.1 only catching Rocky? Because 600 runs for an uncapped player is an impossible stat, unless your na is Rocky Rudra. It's a targeted hit!"
@CricketingAnalyst: "Theory: MI should let Rocky go, buy him back in the open auction, and save the RTM for Bumrah. Wait, if they let him go to the open auction, KKR will bid the entire 60Cr purse for him. There's no winning here. MI is literally cooked. 😂😂"
@Cricket_Gossip: "BCCI just told MI: 'You can have the boy, but it'll cost you your soul.' If Rocky goes for 10Cr, MI will have to play with 10 schoolboys and Rocky! 😂 #RockyRule #AuctionDrama"
@CuttackCracker: "Our boy Rocky is bigger than the system! He's no longer a player. He's a Rule now. Imagine being 18 and the BCCI is scared of your talent! 👑 #RockyRudra #OdishaPride"
@MI_Paltan_Fans: "This is unfair. Why only Rocky? Why not other top perforrs? This is a targeted attack to break the MI dynasty before it starts. We're going to lose one of them because of this!"
___
The Experts' "Auction Order" Strategy.
Matthew Hayden sat in the Star Sports studio, drawing circles on the digital board.
"The order is everything," Hayden said.
"If Rocky's na cos up in Set 1 and Bumrah is in Set 4, Mumbai has to decide right then. Do they gamble and save the RTM for the bowler who had yet to prove himself while hoping no one bids 12Cr for the boy? Or do they lock in the boy and pray everyone forgets how to bowl when Bumrah's na appears? The psychological warfare starts before the first hamr falls."
____
Back in Cuttack, the notifications were a constant hum on the wooden table.
Rocky's Grandma looked at the phone, then at her grandson.
"Rocky, why are they saying you are a 'Rule' now?" she asked, her voice filled with a simple, grounded confusion.
"Are you not a player anymore?"
Rocky didn't answer. He was looking at a photo on his phone from the CLT20 final, him and Bumrah, both young, both stained with dirt, holding the trophy together.
He realized that the system wasn't just trying to price him.
It was trying to separate the two teenagers who had climbed out of the mud together.
The 'Rocky Rule' did more than change the auction, it shattered the fragile illusion of loyalty in a ruthless market. It brought a heavy, human weight into air-conditioned war rooms, forcing a choice between cold strategy and the raw devotion of millions of fans. Loyalty was no longer a sentint—it was a high-stakes gamble.
In simple words, The 'Rocky Rule' did more than change the auction, it completely rewrote the quiet, unwritten code of loyalty.
Rocky was already aware the mont BCCI updated the rules again, he knew that it was either him or Bumrah..
____
Once again Back to topic...
The silence in the MI war room was broken not by a shout, but by the heavy, rhythmic vibration of a phone on the table.
Akash Ambani looked at the caller ID, sighed, and walked out of the room, his head down.
He wasn't ready to face the voice on the other end, not now again.
John Wright and Rahul Sanghvi stared at the phone.
It was the Big Boss.
Rahul hit the speakerphone with a trembling finger.
"John? Are you there?" The voice was calm, asured, and carried the weight of an empire.
"Yes... we're here," Wright said, his voice raspy.
"I've spoken to Akash before this. He must have left the room because he doesn't have the heart to tell you. I'm sorry, John. I know you will not like what I'm going to say. My son is clearly not ready for this level of political maneuvering. He's young and still learning. I've already heard about this 'Diamond Tier' rule, and I must tell you, the BCCI is clearly biased toward Chennai right now. We all know where the loyalties lie."
There was a brief pause, the sound of a heavy sigh over the line.
"But their term will end soon. The Supre Court is already looking into the spot-fixing matter. The tide will turn. However, I am not that powerful in this specific circle, and I will not use my power to force a change to this rule. Better not touch the grey lines. All the other owners are already against us. They see Mumbai as a threat that needs to be dismantled. They know if no one interfere, Mumbai will be unstoppable."
"So, it's Rocky or Bumrah. We cannot have both under these conditions."
John Wright opened his mouth to protest, but the voice continued, final and cold.
"It's up to fate now, John. Whoever's na cos up first in the auction, we will go for it. If fate gives us Rocky, we take him. If it gives us the bowler, we take him. I'm truly sorry."
Click.
The line went dead.
John Wright sank into his chair, looking at the empty whiteboard that was supposed to hold the 2014 Dream Team.
He looked at Rahul, who was staring blankly at the wall.
They were the most powerful team in the world, and they were utterly helpless.
___
La r, Bandra.
While the corporate giants were at war, the Tendulkar household was a quiet island.
Sachin sat on his sofa, his eyes fixed on the television.
The news scroll at the bottom of the screen was a constant repeat of:
"ROCKY RULE TO REVOLUTIONIZE 2014 AUCTION."
"Baba? Is Rocky bhai going to the auction? Will he get big, big money?"
Arjun, barely a teenager and far from understanding the ruthless calculations involved, looked at his father with wide eyes.
To him, Rocky was the hero who had just saved his father's final T20 match.
"He's the best, isn't he? He should get the most money!" Arjun added, his voice filled with a child's simple logic.
Anjali walked into the room, seeing the tension in Sachin's face.
She placed a gentle hand on his, covering it completely.
"Sachin," she said softly but firmly. "It's ti for you to stop worrying about cricket politics. Focus on the children. Your ti is over. You've given everything to that blue jersey. Let's not get involved in this auction drama. You promised before... the mont you stepped off that field in Delhi, after one last test ga, you are coming ho to us."
Sachin looked at the screen, then at his wife.
The "Rocky Rule" was a direct result of the boy trying to protect him on that dusty pitch in Delhi.
(A/N: Yeah, that Perth ga, apart from where Rocky smashed 168, then 9 balls 43. From there, it was impossible for everyone to pretend to be dead. If mi keep this squad, then IPL lose will its value, others won't get any profit. Think when rcb won, IPL value went off chart, it was only after betting apps ban, it fell, but it's still higher than before.)
He felt a pang of guilt, but he knew Anjali was right.
He couldn't fight the BCCI anymore.
He just nodded slowly, his eyes reflecting the flickering blue light of the TV.
"You're right," he whispered. "It's up to God now. I just hope... for the boy's sake... that it's all worth it."
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(A/N: Biggest chapter so far 🫢. By the way, how was it? Did your blood boil reading that?)
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[A/N: aning of The Sophie's choice: An extre moral dilemma.
* It is a "lose-lose" dilemma where you actually have two or more options, but neither is better than the other.
* Unlike a tragic accident, the person is required to actively pick an outco, which often leads to permanent, devasting loss.]
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[Sophie's Choice is a a 1982 film about a Polish woman, Sophie, imprisoned at Auschwitz. A sadistic Nazi officer forces her to choose which of her two young children will live and which will be killed. And, Failure to choose results in both children being killed, forcing her to make an impossible, traumatic, no-win decision.]
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