One of the rarest and most intriguing mechanisms in IPL auction history is the silent tie-breaker — a rule designed to resolve situations where two or more franchises place the exact same final bid for a player, and at least one of them has reached the maximum purse limit. The system, introduced in the 2010 IPL Auction, has been used only three times to date.
How the silent tie-breaker worked
When teams reached the same “last bid” and could not legally bid higher due to purse limits, the auctioneer initiated a private process:
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Each involved franchise submitted a confidential written bid, stating how much extra they were willing to pay above the final public bid.
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This additional amount was paid directly to the BCCI, not deducted from the franchise’s salary purse.
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There was no upper limit on this secret bid.
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If two franchises submitted identical secret bids, the process was repeated until a winner emerged.
This mechanism ensured a fair resolution without disrupting squad budgets.
When the tie-breaker was used
The silent tie-breaker has appeared only thrice in IPL history:
1. Kieron Pollard (2010)
Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders all hit the then maximum permitted bid of USD 750,000.
The tie-breaker was activated, and Mumbai won after reportedly offering USD 2.75 million in the secret bid — making Pollard one of the headline signings of the year.
2. Shane Bond (2010)
Once again, the bidding deadlocked at the cap. The silent tie-breaker was used to determine the final buyer.
3. Ravindra Jadeja (2012)
Deccan Chargers and CSK both reached the USD 2 million limit. The process went into secret bids, where Chennai Super Kings outbid Deccan to secure Jadeja.
Will the rule be used in the IPL Auction 2026?
As of now, there is no confirmation on whether the silent tie-breaker will continue or be modified for the IPL Auction 2026. Since the rule was originally introduced for smaller-purse auctions of the past, its relevance in the current enlarged auction ecosystem remains uncertain.
