IPL 2023 auction postponed to December 23; Kochi to host
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has postponed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction by a week, as reported by Cricbuzz. The bidding event, which was earlier reported to take place on December 16, will now be conducted a week later in Kochi. The change has been reportedly notified to all 10 franchises. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
As per Cricbuzz, BCCI had informed all franchises that an advisory on the auction event will be sent this month. The latest report suggests that the franchises were informed about the venue and the postponed date on November 9. The BCCI initially planned to conduct the auction event in Istanbul, but the plan could not 'materialize', and Kochi was finalized later.
BCCI's struggles to get a venue
Amid the wedding season, the BCCI had a challenging time in getting a venue that could accommodate over 200 representatives from the 10 IPL teams and has enough presidential suits for the owners. While the board even considered Goa, they eventually finalized Kochi.
Clash with India-Bangladesh Test
December 23 means the auction event would clash with the second day of the second and final Bangladesh vs India Test in Dhaka. As the bidding event would get underway in the afternoon, it can clash with a couple of sessions.
Franchises to submit retention list by November 15
Meanwhile, the franchises have been asked to submit the list of released and retained players by November 15. The released players would head into the auction pool alongside the other registered players. As there is an increment of Rs. 5 crore in the salary cap, all 10 franchises will have Rs. 95 crore to build their respective teams.
Remaining purse of franchises after IPL 2022 auction
Punjab Kings - Rs. 3.45 crore Chennai Super Kings - Rs. 2.95 crore Royal Challengers Bangalore - Rs. 1.55 crore Rajasthan Royals - Rs. 0.95 crore Kolkata Knight Riders - Rs. 0.45 crore Gujarat Titans - Rs. 0.15 crore Mumbai Indians - Rs. 0.10 crore Sunrisers Hyderabad - Rs. 0.10 crore Delhi Capitals - Rs. 0.10 crore Lucknow Super Giants - Nil
IPL 2023 likely to get underway in March end
The 16th edition of IPL is likely to get underway in the last week of March. It will see the return of the home-and-away format. Former BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly, had mentioned the same in his letter to state associations on September 22. "The next season of men's IPL will also go back to the home-and-away format," Ganguly had stated.
