Reports: IPL franchises to request BCCI for change in mini-auction date in Kochi

All 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) teams are preparing for the mini-auction after fixing the list of their team's retained and released players. But the majority of franchises are facing a little trouble before taking part in the event on December 23 in Kochi as a majority of the foreign support staff members of the franchises will be unavailable owing to Christmas.

The teams are reportedly considering asking the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to reschedule the mini-auction so that they could have the majority of their staff present at the event. As of now, the board has not issued any official statements on the subject, and it is unclear whether BCCI will agree to change the date of IPL auction.

Some of the players who might present themselves for the auction for IPL 2023 are Sam Curran, Kane Williamson, Alex Hales, and Ben Stokes, among many other big names. Adil Rashid, England's leg-spinner who made a strong impression during the recently finished T20 World Cup, has already declared his intention to play. It won't be surprising to see the teams going all out and offering large sums to bring these star players on board.

The teams retained a total of 163 players, and up to 85 players were released from their respective rosters. International players have traditionally benefited from the mini-auctions, and this forthcoming one would be no exception. The teams will have an added INR 5 crore to spend for the mini-auction on top of the resources already available from this year's retention/release and last year's auction.

IPL 2023 mini-auction scheduled for December 23 in Kochi

The mega auctions took place over the course of two days earlier in the month of February, for IPL 2022, where two new teams were added in the tournament.  The mini-auction, scheduled for December 23, however, will last just one day. Prior to the new season of the Indian Premier League, which will continue to use the existing system of home and away games, the majority of teams have already assembled their core squads and would like to make other necessary adjustments.