The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is scheduled to be held in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19, marking the event's first occurrence outside India in its history. A total of 333 players are primed for bidding in this year's auction.
In anticipation of the auction, the prestigious IPL trophy was unveiled in Dubai on Sunday. The IPL's social media platform shared a video presenting the grand reveal of the coveted trophy.
“Welcome to Dubai! We are all set for the IPL Auction. The trophy in all its glory,” reads the caption of the post.
Watch below viral video...
IPL 2024 Auction will take place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, commencing at 1:30 PM IST. The BCCI reportedly considered Istanbul for last year's auction but decided on Dubai this time due to hotel availability issues during the wedding season in India. "Due to the wedding season, hotel availability can be an issue. That is why we decided to host it in Dubai," mentioned an IPL official according to a PTI report.
Notably, the auctioneer for this historic event will be Mallika Sagar, who served as the gavel master in the recent Women’s Premier League inaugural edition, and is going to replace the legendary Hugh Edmeades for the event, following Edmeades’ health concerns during the 2022 auctions.
In total, there are 77 available positions across the 10 teams, with 30 slots specifically allocated for overseas players. The players up for auction are segregated into three main categories: Indian capped, Indian uncapped, and overseas players. Further divisions are made based on their respective roles, such as batters, all-rounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers, and spinners.
Among the franchises, Kolkata Knight Riders hold the most vacant slots, totaling 12 positions. In contrast, Gujarat Titans, the winners of IPL 2022, boast the highest purse among the teams, standing at INR 38.15 crore. Notably, they recently traded their former captain and renowned Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, to Mumbai Indians.