The player auction for the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held in Jaipur on December 18, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday (December 3).
Some of the veteran cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Brendon McCullum, and Mitchell Starc will be up for grabs with their respective franchises releasing them into the auction pool. A maximum of 70 slots is available to be filled, with 50 of those being for Indian players.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) has the maximum budget available for the auction, with ₹36.20 crores in their purse. They released 11 players from their squad for the 2018 season, and have 15 slots to fill. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending champions, have the least budget of ₹8.4 crores having released just two players from their winning squad.
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The auction is not expected to last very long, but possibly interesting one given there is a little uncertainty over the venue for the tournament, and availability of foreign players. The parliamentary elections could clash with the IPL’s schedule, which could force the tournament out of the country like in 2009 (South Arica) and partly in 2014 (UAE).
Rajasthan Royals (RR) released Jaydev Unadkat after paying a whopping Rs 11.5 crore for his services at the auction held ahead of the 2018 edition. Mumbai Indians (MI) will look to fill just one overseas spot while Knight Riders can buy the maximum number of overseas players – five. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has ₹9.70 crores in their purse and has three Indian slots and two overseas slots to fill.
The 2019 edition may be held outside India, partially or completely, if it clashes with the general elections. However, the World Cup is scheduled to happen right after the IPL, which could force some boards to hold back their key players.
