BCCI likely to call off IPL 2021 mega auction, franchises to manage with existing set of players

The much-awaited 13th edition of the IPL is set to get underway on September 19th in the UAE, continuing until November 10th. The 53-day tournament will take place across three venues in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, several rules will be laid down for the players as well as support staff members. The IPL 2020 was initially set to start from March 29th. However, with a surge in coronavirus cases across the country, the BCCI was left with no choice but to stage the T20 extravaganza in a different country altogether.

The pandemic is still wreaking its havoc in the country and the sporting scenario, at present, looks uncertain. Taking the current situation into consideration, the Indian board is not going to host the mega auction, scheduled ahead of 2021 edition of the IPL. The mega auction would’ve witnessed all franchises snapping up players from scratch. However, the event has been indefinitely postponed in the wake of COVID-19 debacle, as reported by The Times of India.

England are also slated to tour India at the start of 2021

There is likely going to be no auction at all for next year’s IPL. Franchises will have to continue with the existing players, barring last-minute replacements due to injury or unavailability.

With IPL 2020 concluding on November 10th, the BCCI will be left with only four and a half months before next year’s IPL commences. For the next edition, the Indian board is aiming to stage a similar window as this year and recover the losses which stakeholders are going to incur this season. The franchises won’t be able to rebuild their side next year due to the shortage of time and the lack of planning won’t be beneficial for the teams ahead of the mega auction, according to a source.

“What’s the point in doing a mega auction now and not have enough time to plan it properly? IPL might as well go ahead and finish the 2021 edition of the tournament and then see how it wants to go about it,” the source said.

Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is also believed to have a similar stand on the situation. He raised the issue in the recent meeting of the team owners and everyone seemed to be in agreement over the matter. To host the IPL 2021 early next year, the BCCI will have to wrap up England series within an appropriate time frame. England are slated to tour India in mid-January next year to play all three formats.