Indian Premier League teams will go head to head in an auction to sign the best men’s cricketers for the 2024 editions of the tournament.
Millions of rupees will be spent, in the most lucrative cricket league in the world. This time around is the mini-auction, the last one before there is a mega auction for the 2025 tournament. For the first time, the auction will be held overseas, in Dubai.
According to the BCCI 1,166 players have registered for the auction, of which 333 have been shortlisted, 214 Indian players and 119 from overseas.
The IPL 2024 will take place from March 22 until the end of May. The league has been valued as the second-most valuable sporting league in the world, behind the NFL.
Here’s everything you need to know:
The IPL is the most lucrative cricket league in the world— (Getty Images)
How does the IPL Auction work?
The mini-auction means that the core of a team remains mostly unchanged, with sides having already announced who they have released.
The amount of slots a team has varies, but there are 77 places to be filled across the 10 teams, of which 30 are reserved for overseas players.
When is it?
The IPL Auction takes place on 19 December, and will start at 7.30am GMT or 1pm Indian Standard Time.
How can I watch it?
The auction will be shown live on Sky Sports Mix in the UK, with streaming also available on the Sky Go app.
For viewers in India, the auction will be available on JioCinema, and also across various channels on the Star Sports network.
Which England players are in it?
There are 24 England internationals or domestic players in the draw, including Harry Brook. Brook was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad last year for a massive £1.35m but was released after a mixed campaign.
Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes are also on the list after the latter opted out of the 2023 edition to focus on red-ball cricket ahead of the Ashes summer. Phil Salt and David Willey are also among the players hoping for a place.
Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Joe Root have all opted out of being available, while Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood have already been retained by their franchises.
England players in the auction: Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Harry Brook, Phil Salt, James Vince, Brydon Carse, Tom Curran, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Hain, George Garton, Jamie Overton, David Willey, Sam Billings, Ben Duckett, Chris Wood, Benny Howell, Luke Wood, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson, Richard Gleeson, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Ollie Robinson, George Scrimshaw
England players already confirmed for IPL 2024: Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Reece Topley, Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Mark Wood
Which other players are up for grabs?
Australian players are likely to be in high demand, with the likes of Pat Cummins due to return to the IPL having opted out last year ahead of the Ashes. Mitchell Starc is also due to return after an eight-year absence, with Travis Head, who stunned India in the Cricket World Cup final also in the draw.
New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra who was arguably the breakout star of the World Cup is likely to be at least on the list of many teams and could spark a bidding war.
Elsewhere, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw and Gerald Coetzee are in the first set of picks, with Sri Lankan Dilshan Madushanka also on the list.
