The Indian Premier League (IPL) is gearing up for an exciting shake-up with IPL chairman Arun Dhumal announcing a mega auction slated to be held after the 2024 season. The IPL 2024 is eagerly anticipated to commence on March 22, featuring a blockbuster opener between the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the iconic Chepauk Stadium.
"We will have the mega auction for sure, where you get to choose three-four players and then you have a new team. That makes it more interesting and that format will continue," Dhumal told Sportstar.
Mega Auction is held every three years
The IPL is known for its strategic mega auctions, occurring every three years, offering franchises the opportunity to overhaul their squads and inject fresh talent. Following a mini auction in Dubai last year, where Australian speedster Mitchell Starc emerged as the highest-paid player ever in IPL history, the cricketing fraternity is abuzz with the news of the next mega auction scheduled for the 2025 season.
Teams will have the privilege of retaining between three to four key players ahead of this auction, ensuring the continuity of core talent while also embracing change.
Dhumal expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming mega auction, anticipating it to match or surpass the excitement and scale of previous auctions.
"Hopefully, the mega auction will be as big and as good as we have had earlier given newer talents coming in not from India and other countries. Teams like Afghanistan have also benefitted as they could showcase their talent," Dhumal added.
The 2022 mega auction saw a staggering 204 players changing hands, with a total spend of Rs 551 crore, showcasing the league's financial muscle and commitment to maintaining a high level of competition.
IPL 2024 to end before May 27
Furthermore, Dhumal disclosed that IPL 2024 is set to conclude by May 25 or 26, taking into consideration the commencement of the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 7. With the initial two weeks of the IPL 2024 schedule released, there's anticipation around how the tournament will navigate potential clashes with the Lok Sabha elections.
"This time the challenge is that we are starting with the T20 World Cup in the first week of June, and we were planning to close the tournament by May 25 or May 26 as the team will have to travel to the US and that's a different territory altogether," said Dhumal.
"For the first time, the tournament will be held there and it's a new thing, so the players need to be there early to have some sort of practice games ahead of the tournament," Dhumal added.
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