IPL 2022 Auction: Know Everything About the Mega Cricket Festival!

The Indian Premier League is not just a sport in India; it's an emotion. It is often referred to as India Ka Tyohaar. Prior to IPL 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning a mega auction. This auction was supposed to take place before IPL 2021; however, it was postponed a year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. This auction will take place probably early next year, with the BCCI setting the framework for inducting two more teams from IPL 2022.

If you are a die-hard fan of IPL, you must know everything about it. In this article, you’ll get a detailed analysis of the IPL 2022 auction, dates, new guidelines, teams and so on.

What is the Indian Premier League?

Indian Premier League is a premier T20 cricket league with a worldwide reputation. It takes place every year from March to May, with eight teams representing eight different Indian cities and states. It was started in 2008 by then-BCCI vice-president - Lalit Modi. This league is the most popular cricket league in the world. So far, there have been thirteen seasons and one halfway due to covid.

IPL 2022 Mega Auction

Auctions are a significant event in the franchise-based cricket league. Players from all around the world list their contracts for sale, and owner bids to buy them. The auctions, however, are controlled by a set of regulations that all franchisees and players must follow in order to participate. After every interval of 3 years, a mega auction is held. So, in 2022, it’s going to be a mega one.

These auctions are held to guarantee that teams have a chance to rebalance their teams, as well as to provide players, particularly Indian uncapped players and international players, a chance to participate in the IPL.

Difference Between IPL Mini Auction and IPL Mega Auction

Mega auction differs from mini-auction in many ways, like the number of players that can be retained is limited. In the mega auction, teams get Right to Match (RTM) cards. The winning auction cost for one of the ex-players can be matched with this card to purchase back that player's contract. Depending on the number of players retained through the direct method, each team receives 2-3 RTM cards in the mega auctions.

New Teams and Franchise

According to reports, 2 additional IPL teams are expected to be added before the 2022 season. One franchise would be awarded to Ahmedabad, while the second franchise might be awarded to Lucknow or Kanpur.

Mid-August of 2021 will see the release of the tender paperwork for the addition of two more IPL franchises. The BCCI is expected to boost the franchise's fee from Rs. 85 crores-90 crores as a result of the addition of two more teams. Once the documentation process is done, teams will be introduced by the BCCI in mid-October of 2021.

The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, located in Kolkata; the Adani group, based in Ahmedabad; Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharma Ltd; and the Torrent Group, based in Gujarat, are among the prospective buyers for the two additional IPL franchises.

Player Retention Rules

Player retention means choosing a particular player again in your team to play for the team once again. As per new rules, a franchise can retain 4 players, with a maximum of 3 Indians and 1 overseas or 2 Indians and 2 overseas players. Apart from these 4 players, all the other players will be auctioned from the auction table. It can be done in two ways:

1. Direct Retention - It means the owner can directly retain the given number of players without using RTM.
2. Right To Match (RTM) - A team can use the RTM card to retain a player in the mega auctions by paying the exact sum equal to the winning price.

For Example - Let’s take a franchise of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Suppose Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal and Devdutt Padaikal have been retained. Then, except for these four players, all other cricketers will proceed to the auction table, where their new franchise will be determined by the highest bidder.

Note: A team can keep up to 3 players via direct retention, after which they will receive 2 RTM cards. If a team decides to directly retain only 2 players, they will receive 3 RTM cards. However, neither of the ways will allow you to retain more than three or less than two participants.

Revised Salary Schedule

If a franchise retains three players, their salaries will be Rs. 15 crores, Rs. 11 crores, and Rs. 7 crores, respectively; if two players are retained, their salaries will be Rs. 12.5 crores and Rs. 8.5 crores; and if just one player is retained, the pay would be Rs. 12.5 crores.

List of Events

Prior to the schedule of the auction, teams are prepared. A brainstorming session is held here for everyone, including the team owners. They gather every 4-5 weeks to assess their squad and come up with a broad framework for which player categories to focus on in the upcoming auction.

The players are auctioned off according to a set timetable in the IPL. The franchisees have the chance to suggest a set of IPL players from the remaining players on the first day of the auction. The schedule for the mega auction is as follow:

1. On the first day of bidding, the marquee players are put up for auction. Once it is done, more players are put up for auction.
2. On the second day, the remaining unsold players are put up for auction.

Team Strength and How to Apply for Auction?

As per the guidelines, a single team can only have a maximum of 25 players and must also have a minimum of 18 players. This includes a maximum of 8 international players. There are both capped and uncapped players on this list of 25.

BCCI has established a few regulations and qualifying requirements for Indian players under the age of 19 who want to compete in the mega auction in 2022. These are a few points to consider:

• The player must have been born on or after April 1, 2003, and should be at least 19 years old to participate in the IPL 2022 mega auction.
• At least one match of list A or first class should have been played by the player.
• The player who wants to participate in the IPL auction has to be registered with the state association.
• Retired Indian players who haven’t played in IPL should request written permission from the BCCI for participation.

IPL Match Schedule Window

There will be changes in the schedule window for IPL 2022. Due to the addition of the two additional franchises, the IPL 2022 scheduling window is going to be extended. The total number of matches will be more than 90, and it will be impossible to complete them all within the months of March and May.

Mega Auction Dates

Despite the fact that the BCCI and IPL authorities are yet to declare an official date, it is expected that a mega auction for the fifteenth season of the IPL will start most probably at the end of January or the beginning of February next year. However, because last year's auction took place in February, it can be expected that the 2022 auction will take place around the same time.

The Bottom Line

During the pandemic, the 13th edition of IPL was held in the UAE, which turned out to be a tremendous success, and now cricket lovers are anticipating the same with the 14th edition. While the exact location of the event is yet to be confirmed, the auction has been confirmed.

If it’s held in India, more than 5 venues will be necessary. However, with so much ambiguity surrounding the COVID-19 issue, there is a lot of doubt regarding the safety of holding the games in different separate locations.