The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) successfully managed to hold the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the UAE as the lucrative T20 tournament concluded on Tuesday. Now, it is being reported that the BCCI is looking to hold IPL 2021 in India with a full-fledged mega-auction somewhere around early next year.
Multiple reports have suggested that the Indian cricket board has already informed the franchise to start preparing for the mega auction, which could be held early in 2021.
“The BCCI has told us to be prepared for an auction in a couple of months. Though it is not official, that they have asked us to be ready means they will go ahead as planned. Moreover, with a new team coming in, it makes sense to have an auction now rather than deferring it by a year,” a franchise official told The New Indian Express
However, what comes as a big surprise that the board is also looking to include a new franchise for the upcoming edition. The ninth franchise in IPL will be from Ahmedabad with Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera) likely to be their home stadium.
Generally, at mega auctions, franchises are allowed to retain three players with option to use Right To Match (RTM) card on two more players. However, there is no clarity regarding the retention policy yet for the forthcoming mega auctions.
“The retention policy should continue even if a new team comes in because at this stage, it won’t be wise to have all players in the auction pool. Teams will have to compromise on brand value which is built on their star players,” said another franchise official.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets in Dubai as the Rohit Sharma-led side lifted their fifth IPL trophy.
