IPL Mega Auction likely in the End of November

BCCI is looking at the last week of November to host the Indian premier League mega auction and November 30 has come out as the likely date. Nothing has been finalized on the date yet but the last week of the month has been identified as the ideal window. The discussions are underway on the stage and while many options are being planned, there is a possibility of the Indian cricket board hosting it in Dubai. 

The ten franchises are already in a huddle ahead of the mega auction and are in the final stage of sealing their retention. IPL 2024 finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are setting the pace by prioritizing Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, and Abhishek Sharma as their top three targets, while also considering Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Delhi Capitals, too, have Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav as their top three picks but they were not sure about the captaincy yet. They have reorganized the support staff with Hemang Badani set to become the head coach and Venugopal Rao replacing Sourav Ganguly as Director of Cricket. Furthermore, they have roped in Munaf patel as the bowling coach and formal announcements are likely in the coming weeks. 

Continuity is assured for IPL giants Mumbai Indians, who emerged as clear beneficiaries of the new retention policy, as they are poised to retain Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah. Pandya is to continue as the captain as the five-time winners, under coach Mahela Jayawardene, would look to return to winning ways after disappointing outings in the last cycle.

The upcoming mega auction is set to be thrilling, with new rules that will keep franchises on their toes. The revamped Right to Match card, expected to be widely utilized by many teams, is likely to be the highlight of the event.

What’s the new RTM

• The highest bidder will have one last chance to increase their bid for a player before the team holding the RTM card can choose to exercise their right.
• For instance, if Team 1 holds the Right to Match (RTM) for Player X and Team 2 has placed the highest bid of Rs. 6 Cr, Team 1 will first be given the option to exercise their RTM. If Team 1 decides to use it, Team 2 can then choose to increase their bid. Should Team 2 raise their offer to Rs. 9 Cr, Team 1 can exercise the RTM and acquire Player X for Rs. 9 Cr. However, if Team 2 opts not to raise their bid and remains at Rs. 6 Cr, Team 1 can still use the RTM to secure Player X for Rs. 6 Cr.