With the IPL auction due to happen on the 27th and 28the January, there is a lot of hype regarding the teams and players participating in this event.
The auction for the 11th season of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) is going to be held on the 27th and 28th of January. More than 570 players will be going under the hammer this season. The event will take place in Bangalore at the ITC Gardenia. It will be broadcasted by Star Sports India who acquired the broadcasting rights earlier this year. The broadcast will commence from 9:05 am.
Cricket has been a sensation in India and the Indian Premiere League has just added to the love and excitement of the fans. Just above a decade ago, the commencement of this tournament where they could see international stars playing together send all the cricketing fans in a frenzy. Ten years forward, the tournament remains one of the most anticipated tournaments of cricket. And just like any other season, there will be an auction held where franchises will bid for players they want. But there’s a catch.
There will be a complete revamp of teams as the players have finished their contracts with their respective franchises. The franchises were given an option to retain a maximum of three players with subject to reduction in the total purse of Rs. 80 crore. One of the major reasons for the added excitement for this season is the return of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) who will make a comeback after serving a suspension of two years for match fixing. The return of CSK also means that the former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the team much to the delight of fans.
The retention strategy adopted by some franchises has also set the enthusiastic tone for the upcoming auction. The release of Gautam Gambhir by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the retention of Sarfaraz Khan by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) certainly put the pundits and fans under deep thought. However the franchises also have an option of exercising the Right to Match (RTM) card on some players. The RTM card enables a team to buy back its player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player. The players on whom the teams have decided to use RTM will be known on the auction day itself.
The likes of players like Ben Stokes, Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo going in the auction has set the fans on their toes who are hoping to see their favorite stars play for their favorite franchises. The commercialization of the auction due to the huge fan base has led to teams and broadcasters doing extensive advertisement for the same. Each franchise has set up portals asking their fans to vote for the players they want the franchises to buy.
It will be very interesting to see the various franchises battling it out for some of the biggest cricket stars. And as always, everyone will keep an eye on which player bags the highest price. With the franchises and fans all ready, it is now a matter of time until the bidding war for one of the most enthralling cricket tournaments to begin.
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Karan Singhania
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