This is the first time in the history of the tournament that the auctions will be held in the state of Kerala
The mini players’ auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is likely to take place on December 23 in Kochi. However, an official announcement is yet to be made. According to ESPN Cricinfo, the auction would be a one-day affair and will be conducted in Kochi. This is the first time in the history of the tournament that the auctions will be held in the state of Kerala.
The Turkish city of Istanbul, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad were also in contention to host the auction but, the BCCI eventually opted for the coastal Kerala city.
“Logistically, and considering the dates, Kochi turned out to be the most suited option,” a BCCI official told PTI.
Unlike the 2022 mega auction, when the ten franchises had to rebuild their squads virtually from scratch, it will be a mini auction this year. The ten IPL franchises have been asked to submit their list of retained players by November 15.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already set a November 15 deadline for the franchises to send the final list of retained players. This time around, each team can retain up to 15 players and have to release the remaining 10. However, last year, the team size was set to a maximum of 25 while the minimum number of players in a team was 18.
It has been learned that each franchise will have an additional INR 5 crore in addition to the money left over from last year’s mega auctions. The total figure will be around INR 95 crore for the mini auctions.
Preity Zinta-owned Punjab Kings were left with the largest purse worth Rs 3.45 cores after the 2022 players’ auctions. Chennai Super Kings had INR 2.95 crore, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 1.55 crore), Rajasthan Royals (INR 0.95 crore), and Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 0.45 crore).
The likes of Mumbai India, Delhi Capitals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad had INR 0.10 crore each left in their respective purses. Defending champions Gujarat Titans were left with INR 0.15 crore while Lucknow Super Giants were the only side to exhaust their entire purse.
Also, the salary cap is likely to be increased from Rs 90 to Rs 95 crore for the 2023 season.
