Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal has confirmed that ‘mega auctions’ will remain part of the marquee sporting event, ending speculations that BCCI was mulling a proposal to replace it with the English Premier League’s player transfer model.
The next mega auction will take place after the 2024 season which will allow teams to refresh their entire squads.
“We will have the mega auction for sure, where you get to choose three-four players and then you have a new team. That makes it more interesting and that format will continue,” Dhumal told Sportstar.
“Hopefully, the mega auction will be as big and as good as we have had earlier given newer talents coming in not from India and other countries. Teams like Afghanistan have also benefitted as they could showcase their talent,” he added.
As big as the last one
The IPL chief said he hoped that next year’s mega auction will be as big as the previous ones. The 2022 mega auction saw 204 players being sold at an estimated collective price of Rs 551 crore ($66.5 million).
“Hopefully, the mega auction will be as big and as good as we have had earlier given newer talents coming in not from India and other countries. Teams like Afghanistan have also benefitted as they could showcase their talent,” he added.
The mega auctions usually occur every three years in the IPL calendar. During the last window, two new franchises viz. Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants were added to the fold with the former going on to win the tournament in its rookie season.