On February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.
Where can I watch it?
On the Star Sports network from 12:00pm onwards.
Is it the first mega auction since the IPL started?
No. It is the fifth mega auction. The last big one was held in 2018. Overall, it is the 15th auction.
How many players have been retained by the teams from last year?
A total of 27 players have been retained by the eight existing franchises, while the two new teams — Lucknow and Gujarat — have acquired three players each.(See graphic for the list)
How many players will be available at the auction?
A total of 590 players will go under the hammer. They were shortlisted, based on the wishlist sent by the 10 franchises, from the original list of 1,214 players.
Is there a minimum or maximum limit to the number of players each team can have in their squad?
Yes. Each team should have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 in their squad. Also, no team can have more than eight overseas players. Teams also need to spend a minimum of Rs 67.5 crore from their total purse of `90 crore.
What is the auction process?
The players are divided into 62 sets based on their speciality — batters, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spin bowlers. However, the marquee set of 10 players, which will kick start the auction, is a mix of different skill sets. The marquee set will be followed by capped players and then the uncapped players.
How many players will be up for the bidding on the first day?
Only the first 161 players will be up for bidding on Saturday. The second day will start with an accelerated bidding process.
What is accelerated bidding?
After the first day, the franchises will send a list of players they are interested in from the remaining and unsold pool. Those players will go under the hammer on Sunday. In this bidding happens faster, with the auctioneer racing through the names and teams quickly pick the players, usually for their base price. This process could be repeated more than once.
Are there Right-to-Match cards available to teams?
No. Unlike the last mega auction in 2018, there’ll be no RTMs this time. It would have been unfair to the two new teams.
