Just a week to go before the deadline date of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, as all ten franchises are needed to submit their list of retained players before October 31, but a massive move could change the dilemma of the auction for the upcoming few seasons of the tournament.
Lots of big names, in the form of KL Rahul, who has captained the Indian side, or the talk of the town, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, are expected to enter the mega auction of the IPL 2025. Whenever some of the big players of the national side enter the auction pool, There comes a huge possibility of an increase in price in the market.
The reports have claimed that a huge name, who has become the new IPL winning captain, could end up entering the auction of the league. Neither of these is MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, or Hardik Pandya. The former T20 and ODI World Cup-winning captain has led the Chennai Super Kings to five titles, along with Rohit Sharma for the same number of trophies.
Shreyas Iyer could think of entering the IPL 2025 mega-auction
In his maiden season as the leader of the Gujarat Titans during the 2022 edition of the event, Hardik Pandya also delivered the same. But the man who could attract a few franchises in the auction is Shreyas Iyer, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title, ending a wait of ten years.
Making a partnership with their mentor, Gautam Gambhir, Iyer claimed huge success, as the team finished at the top position with nine victories in 14 games at a net run rate of +1.428 before gaining successive victories over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoff stage of the competition.
ESPNcricinfo has revealed that it’s an open secret that even though the batter isn’t confirmed to move out, he is giving strong thought to the decision, expecting a heavy offer from the rival franchise. The batter smashed 351 runs in 14 innings at an average of 39 and a strike rate of over 146, with the help of two half-centuries at a best score of unbeaten 58 runs. The IPL GC has released the rules where the first and fourth players will be sold for a price of INR 18 crore, while the second and fifth will collect INR 14 crores each, and the third player will get around INR 11 crore.
With the likes of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, or Mitchell Starc on the side, the KKR side has found it a challenge to decide their retentions.
However, the dates and places for the mega auction of the IPL are yet to be announced. The Times of India (TOI) has reported that the auction could take place on November 30. The last auction of the 2024 season was held in Dubai, and there is a possibility of going back to the same place.
The Sportstar, however, believes, that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could consider Riyadh for the venue, as it’s leading the race due to the favorable time zone.
Also Read: MS Dhoni To Meet The CSK Officials On This Date To Give Final Verdict On IPL 2025 Retention
“The Board and the IPL officials are in the ‘final stages‘ of finalizing the venue that can accommodate the entire entourage – including delegations from the ten franchises and a large crew from Jio and Disney Star – over three days.” The reports observed.
The deadline for the IPL retention is October 31, 2024.