IPL 2023 auction to take place on December 16: Report
The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction will take place in Bengaluru on December 16, reported The Times of India. The competition will witness the return of the home-and-away format. IPL 2023 is likely to kick-start in the last week of March. The salary purse of each team can be increased by five crore, allowing teams to spend a maximum of Rs. 95 crore.
Why does this story matter?
All 10 franchises will look to strengthen their teams in the bidding event. There won't be any restriction on the retention and release of players. Teams like Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals aren't likely to make many changes. At the same time, sides like Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians might look to revamp their squad after a horrendous 2021 season.
What did Sourav Ganguly say?
The outgoing BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly had stated that all 10 teams will get to play at their respective home venues in IPL 2023. "The next season of men's IPL will also go back to the home-and-away format with all the 10 teams playing their home matches at their designated venues," Ganguly had mentioned in his letter to state associations on September 22.
Increase in salary purse
As mentioned above, teams might have a bigger salary purse in the event. Earlier, Rs. 90 crore was allotted to all franchises to build their squads. However, Rs. 5 crore will reportedly be added in all purses. Hence, players triggering bidding wars in the upcoming event will walk away with massive money. Notably, franchises can also widen their purse by releasing players.
Number of IPL matches to grow gradually
Like this year's event, 74 matches are set to take place in IPL 2023 - 70 in the League stage and four in playoffs. However, a Cricbuzz report suggests that the number of matches will gradually increase in the 2023-27 cycle. 84 matches might take place in the 2025 and 2026 events. In the final season of the cycle, the tally can be 94.
