The mega auction schedule for the IPL 2022 has been set to mid-February while the deadline for the two new teams to finalise draft picks has also been extended.
The much anticipated mega auction for the Indian Premier League 2022 is set to be a two-day event. It will take place in Bangalore on February 12 and 13, ahead of the 2022 season. The full list of the players to be auctioned is expected to be finalised by mid-January after the two new franchises have announced their draft picks.
According to Cricbuzz, the Premier League officials have informed each franchise of the auction dates on December 23. The officials also insisted that the dates will be final despite a clash with India’s international fixture. The second ODI between The Men in Blue and West Indies is slated to take place in Kolkata on February 12. The board has assured the franchises that the clash will have no bearing on the mega auction.
“It has been clarified to us that the match and auction are two different things and both will go ahead,”
a franchise official told Cricbuzz.
Star Sports, who are the official broadcasters for both the events, have also been informed about the development.
The BCCI has asked the international boards as well as the state associations to provide the names of the players to be registered for the auction. The marquee league has been expanded to a 10-team competition from the 2022 edition. As such, more than 1000 players will be registered, with 250 expected to be auctioned.
Earlier, the deadline for the new teams to announce their maximum of three draft picks from the player pool was December 25. It is now likely to be extended further. The CVC Capital Partners, who had bid ₹5625 crore to acquire the rights for the Ahmedabad franchise in October, are yet to be granted official ownership by the board.
It is understood that the BCCI is still looking into compliance issues regarding CVC’s affiliation with two betting companies in Italy and Brazil. The board is apparently seeking counsel in this matter, including from a former High Court judge, before they can officially grant the ownership.
The existing eight franchises had announced their retentions by November 30 and will head into the auction to rebuild their sides on February 12. The auction purse for all 10 franchises is set at ₹90 crore, increased from the previous cycle’s ₹85 crore. The two new franchises’ purses for the auction will depend on how many players they draft ahead of the auction.
From the existing franchises, Punjab Kings, who retained only two players – Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh, will have the highest purse remaining of ₹72 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who retained Kane Williamson and two uncapped players in Abdul Samad and Umran Malik, have the remaining purse of ₹68 crore.
Rajasthan Royals retained their captain Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They will go into the auction with a purse of ₹62 crore. Royal Challengers Bangalore secured Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj, and have ₹57 crore remaining.
Delhi Capitals retained four players – captain Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel. They will have the least remaining purse of ₹47.5 crore.
Kolkata Knight Riders retained Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer. Chennai Super Kings re-signed captain MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Mumbai Indians secured captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard. All three of KKR, CSK and MI will head into the auction with the remaining purse of ₹48 crore each.
