Reports: IPL mega auction likely to be held in Bengaluru on February 7 and 8

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to hold the mega auction for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League on February 7 and 8 in Bengaluru, a senior BCCI official confirmed on December 22.

The 15^th edition of the league will feature ten teams, as two new franchises – Lucknow and Ahmedabad – have been added to the existing pool of eight. The upcoming mega auction might as well be the last one as many franchises believe that the exercise has outlived its utility.

“Unless the COVID-19 situation worsens, we will have the IPL mega auction in India. The two-day event will be held on February 7 and 8 and like other years, we plan to hold it in Bengaluru. Preparations are underway,” an unnamed senior BCCI official was quoted by Times of India.

With the increasing threat of Omicron variant of Covid-19 in India, multiple reports suggest the likelihood of the mega auction being shifted out of India, most likely to the United Arab Emirates, however, there is no confirmation in that regard as of now, with Bengaluru set to be the venue.

The eight existing teams have retained players ahead of the event, whereas the two new franchises have time until December 25 to pick three non-retained players. That deadline, however, is likely to be extended as CVC Sports, who won the bid for the Ahmedabad franchise, are yet to receive the Letter of Intent from the BCCI after it emerged that the company has investments in betting firms located in the United Kingdom.

Several franchise owners feel that the mega auction has outlived its utility as all the IPL teams now aim to build an ecosystem. With only a handful of retentions allowed, all the franchises end up losing players they invest plenty of time on.

Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal, for instance, expressed how difficult it was for the franchise to let go of their players.

“It is very sad to lose Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada and Ashwin. The auction process itself is something like this. Going forward, IPL should look at this because it’s not that you build a team, give chances to young players, groom them and get them opportunities from franchises, play for the country and then you lose them after three years,” Jindal had said after players’ retention was announced November 30.