IPL Auction Register Trimmed; Accelerated Process to Start from Player No. 117
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has streamlined the auction register for the upcoming IPL mega-auction, reducing the list from 1,574 players to 574. However, not all shortlisted players are expected to be bid upon during the auction, scheduled for November 24 and 25. After the initial 116 players have been called for bidding, the process will transition to an accelerated phase, starting with player number 117 in the register, Ricky Bhui.
In a communication to franchises, the BCCI outlined the procedure, stating:
Accelerated Process: Franchises will nominate players from the group numbered 117–574 by 10 PM on November 24. After these players are presented, teams can nominate unsold or unpresented players from the full list of 574 for a subsequent accelerated session. Detailed instructions will be shared at the auction briefing on November 23.
The auction will begin with marquee sets, followed by rounds of capped players categorized by specialization (batters, all-rounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers, and spin bowlers), and conclude with uncapped players.
Marquee Players:
The marquee players are divided into two sets:
- Set 1 (M1): Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Mitchell Starc.
- Set 2: Yuzvendra Chahal, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
Some franchises expressed disappointment with only 12 players in the marquee lists, as they had anticipated closer to 20.
Notable Updates:
Jofra Archer: The England pacer is absent from the register as the ECB has ruled him out for the 2025 IPL season to prioritize his fitness for the summer Test season.
Additional Entries: 39 players, including Unmukt Chand (USA) and Odean Smith (West Indies), were added to the final list at the request of franchises. Other additions include Faridoon Dawoodzai (Afghanistan), Michael Neser (Australia), Will Young (New Zealand), and domestic players such as Lalit Yadav and Khrievitso Kense.
Auction Timings:
The auction has been scheduled to avoid overlapping with the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which runs from November 22 to 26. The auction will begin at 3 PM IST (12:30 PM Saudi local time), shortly after the day’s play ends at 2:50 PM. These timings were finalized in coordination with broadcasters Disney Star (television) and Jio Cinema (digital).
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