Despite the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the sporting industry throughout the world, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was successful in conducting the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE throughout a period of 50 days, from 19th September 2020 till the 10th of November 2020.
It is now being reported that BCCI is confident of holding the mega-auction ahead of the 2021 edition of the IPL early next year. There were certain suggestions that the plans for a mega-auction would have been cancelled as teams would have just a couple of months left prior to beginning preparation for next season. Multiple reports after the final of IPL 2020 suggest that BCCI have informed all franchises to start preparing for the mega-auction and have also been informed that a new franchise, from the city of Ahmedabad, will participate in the competition from next season onwards being the 9th franchise in the Indian Premier League tournament.
“The BCCI has told us to be prepared for an auction in a couple of months. Though it is not official, that they have asked us to be ready means they will go ahead as planned. Moreover, with a new team coming in, it makes sense to have an auction now rather than deferring it by a year,” a franchise official has told.
The ninth franchise in IPL will be from Ahmedabad with Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera) likely to be their home stadium. Usually at mega auctions, franchises are allowed to retain three players with option to use Right To Match (RTM) card on two more players, as seen in earlier mega-auctions as well. However, there is no clarity regarding the retention policy yet for the forthcoming mega auctions.
“The retention policy should continue even if a new team comes in because at this stage, it won’t be wise to have all players in the auction pool. Teams will have to compromise on brand value which is built on their star players,” said another franchise official. Being unable to retain their star players will be a huge concern for franchises who thrive on their brand value.
