New Delhi: The mini auction for the 2027 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to be held on December 16 in Goa, sources told IANS on Saturday.
Though a formal communication via email is yet to be dispatched to the team owners and the CEOs, sources in multiple teams and the broadcast side of things have confirmed that the auction is likely to be held on December 16.
It is also understood that there were initial murmurs for the auction to take place on December 14. “Yes, the BCCI sent out a text message to all ten teams’ representatives via WhatsApp for the auction to take place on December 16, with the auction briefing to be done a day before on December 15.
“They just wanted to know the number of people from all ten teams who will come for the auction so that the bookings for them at the ITC Grand Hotel are initiated as quickly as possible,” further said the sources.
The likely IPL 2027 mini auction date will also mean there will be a potential clash with India scheduled to take on Sri Lanka in the second ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, also on December 16.
The series opener, slated to be played on December 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, is yet to find another venue due to the iconic stadium set to undergo drainage and pitch revamp work. It also means that Goa will host an IPL auction for the first time, with the event returning to Indian soil after the last few editions were staged in West Asian cities.
The mini auction will allow all ten franchises Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad to plug gaps in their squads after the retention and release window ends in mid-November.
In mid-November, all ten franchises are expected to submit their final lists of retained and released players to the BCCI ahead of the auction, after which the board will draw up the pool of players going under the hammer.
–IANS–
