All you need to know about IPL 2021 auction

What is IPL?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is an annual T20 tournament hosted by India since 2008. Some of the best players from around the world are divided into eight franchises, who play T20 games against each other. The matches are divided into a league stage, playoffs and final.

What are the current teams in the IPL and what is their best finish?

There are eight teams in the IPL:

Chennai Super Kings – Winners 2010, 2011, 2018

Kolkata Knight Riders – Winners 2012, 2014

Mumbai Indians – Winners 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020

Sunrisers Hyderabad – Winners 2016

Rajasthan Royals – Winners 2008

Royal Challengers Bangalore – Runners-up 2009, 2011, 2016 

Delhi Capitals – Runners-up 2020

Kings XI Punjab – Runners-up 2014

The now-defunct Deccan Chargers won the title in 2009.

When and where will the 2021 IPL auction be held?

The IPL auction will be held in Chennai on February 18, 2021.

How many players have registered for the IPL 2021 auction?

According to the official IPL website, as many as 1,097 players (283 overseas) have registered for the IPL 2021, out of which 292 have been shortlisted and 61 will be sold on auction day and a maximum of 22 players can be overseas stars. The 1,097 players are broken down into the following categories: 

Capped Indians (21 players)

Uncapped Indians (743 players)

Uncapped Indians who have played at least one IPL match (50 players)

Capped internationals (186)

Uncapped internationals (68 players)

Players from Associate nations (27 players)

Players from how many overseas countries will be part of the 2021 IPL auction?

Players from 15 overseas countries will go under the hammer. They are:

Afghanistan (30 players)

Australia (42 players)

Bangladesh (5 players)

England (21 players)

Ireland (2 players)

Nepal (8 players)

Netherlands (1 player)

New Zealand (29 players)

Scotland (7 players)

South Africa (38 players)

Sri Lanka (31 players)

UAE (9 players)

USA (2 players)

West Indies (56 players)

Zimbabwe (2 players)

How many of these registered players will go under the hammer?

292 players will be up for grabs in the IPL 2021 auction. Here are the full details

Who will be the auctioneer in the 2021 IPL auction?

From 2008 to 2018, it was New Zealander Richard Madley, who had conducted the auctions. However, in 2019, Englishman Hugh Edmeades took over and will continue in the role this time as well.

Who has been the highest bid player in IPL auctions?

Yuvraj Singh was purchased by the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for INR 16 crore in 2015, from a base price of INR 2 crore which to date is the highest money a player has ever been bid for in IPL auctions. 

Which players were traded between franchises ahead of the 2021 IPL auction?

All franchises had up to February 4 to trade players in and out. As of now, Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel have been traded from DC to RCB. Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa has moved from RR to CSK.

What is the base price of all the players in the auction pool?

First, here's the look at the number of players registered under different base prices:

Shakib Al Hasan who has returned to international cricket after facing a one-year ban has listed himself in the INR 2 crore category – the highest base price any cricketer can have. Listed alongside him for the same price are Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jason Roy, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett.

Dawid Malan, the World No. 1 T20I batsman, is available at a base price of INR 1.5 crore. Alex Carey, Tom Curran, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Alex Hales, Jhye Richardson, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Adam Lyth and Lewis Gregory are also available at the same base price.

Among the capped players how many players are listed and at what base prices?

Hanuma Vihari and Cheteshwar Pujara will also be up for grabs this time, having set a base price of INR 1 crore and INR 50 lakh for themselves respectively.

S Sreesanth was looking to make his return to the IPL for the first time since 2013 and would have been available to franchises from a base price of INR 75 lakh, but is not part of the final list. Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun has put his name in the auction for the first time, with a base price of INR 20 lakh.

The base price of the remaining players will be announced in due course of time. 

How many players can each franchise have in their squad?

Each team is entitled to have a maximum of 25 players, which includes an upper limit of eight overseas players.

Who are the players each franchise has retained and released ahead of the 2021 IPL auction?

As many as 57 players have been released by franchises and 139 have been retained. Full details here.

How many players can each franchise buy in the 2021 IPL auction and how much money can each of them spend?

Will IPL 2021 be held in India this time? If so, what are the venues?

The BCCI remains confident that the 14th edition of the IPL will be held in India. IPL 2020 was played behind closed doors in the UAE due to the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the BCCI has identified five venues to host the 60 IPL matches – Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Brabourne Stadium (Mumbai), DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai), Reliance Stadium (Navi Mumbai) and the MCA Stadium (Pune). 

What time will the IPL 2021 auction begin?

The auction will begin from 3 PM IST onwards. It will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network.