Ten IPL franchises will converge at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi today to plug in the gaps in their squads ahead of the world’s richest domestic T20 league beginning March 26. While the mini-auction will not feature marquee Indian stars—most of whom were snapped up in last year’s mega auction, when franchises look to rebuild teams—there is still a sizeable Indian contingent on offer, headlined by the likes of Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi and Venkatesh Iyer, all of whom could attract keen interest as teams fine-tune their combinations. Here’s a look at what to expect:
What’s this auction about?
This is a mini auction that’s held in the intervening period between the mega auctions, which take place once every three years. A total of 369 players are in the auction fray, with Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran one of the notable late additions. These players will be fighting for 77 slots between 10 franchises, of which 31 are reserved for foreign players. An IPL team can have a maximum of 25 players, with the number of overseas players limited to eight.
How is this different from a mega auction?
For one, there won’t be any marquee sets, a cohort of top-tier, elite cricketers who go under the hammer right at the beginning. The mini auction will be spread across 42 sets of cricketers who have been categorised according to their skill—batting, bowling, keeping, etc—and their capped/uncapped status. The reserve price, the tag at which the bidding should start has been set at a minimum of Rs 30 lakh and a maximum of Rs 2 crore.
Besides, unlike mega auctions, an RTM (a right to match card) won’t be available to franchises. An RTM card lets a franchise buy one of their previously released players by matching a rival offer.
At Rs 64.3 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has the biggest purse, while Mumbai Indians (MI) has the smallest (Rs 2.75 crore). With a new coaching staff in place, the Kolkata-based team is looking to rebuild their core after finishing 8th on the points table last year, and one would expect them to have a go at Australian Cameron Green, among the most prized names on the auction list today. MI, on the other hand, which prefers continuity over rigorous rebuilding, has retained their most expensive picks, and has the slimmest war chest.
What’s this rule everyone’s complaining about?
A new regulation introduced by the BCCI ahead of last year’s mega auction stipulates that Rs 18 crore is the maximum a foreign player can take home from a mini auction. The threshold was put in place to address complaints that overseas stars parked themselves in mini auctions just to take home a hefty paycheque. Even if a fierce bidding war takes their price tags past the Rs 18 crore-mark, the surplus amount will go to the BCCI for player welfare. This rule, however, now poses a challenge to franchises going into the auction with fat purses and multiple slots to fill.
Kathakali has been a journalist for nearly two decades, working previously with The Telegraph and Times of India. An MA in political science and a Chevening Fellow, she is a feature writer covering th
