The mega auction ahead of the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2021 is all set to be postponed. The reason for the postponement is the lack of time due to the coronavirus pandemic. The thirteenth edition of the IPL will end on November 10 while IPL 2021 will take place at its usual slot which is in April – May.
Consequently, the BCCI does not have much time in planning for the mega auction, according to The Times of India. The news outlet further reported that there may be no auction at all ahead of next year’s IPL and franchises will most likely make do with the existing set of players barring last minute replacements in the wake of injury or unavailability. With IPL 2020 ending on November 10, the BCCI will have only four-and-half months to begin with the next IPL.
All the franchises are also on the same page with the BCCI regarding the postponement of the mega auction for the next IPL. The franchises have agreed with the board’s line of thought that there won’t be enough time and space available for teams to rebuild.
What’s the point in doing a mega auction now and not have enough time to plan it properly? IPL might as well go ahead and finish the 2021 edition of the tournament and then see how it wants to go about,” a source in the know of things told the news outlet.
The last auction, which took place in December 2019, was a mini one with the franchises using it only to fill few slots in their squads. Only 332 players had gone under the hammer for the 73 spots up for grabs for the eight franchises. In the end, a total of only 62 players were sold in the one-day affair.
Meanwhile, IPL 2020 is all set to get underway on September 19 with the final scheduled on November 10. The entire competition will be played in the UAE.