The IPL auction was conducted in Dubai last year.
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, all teams are set to undergo a major overhaul as the mega auction will be held next month.
While the BCCI and IPL Governing Council rolled out the retention guidelines last month, the date and location for the grand auction is yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, a report published in Sportstar on Thursday (October 17) claimed that mega auction is likely to take place in Riyadh on November 24 and 25. The franchises have reportedly been informed about the itinerary.
Notably, the IPL auction was conducted outside India for the first time last year as Dubai hosted the event. It has been decided to host the auction in the Middle East this time around as well.
According to the report, London and Singapore were also among the shortlisted venues, but Saudi Arabia emerged as the front-runner because of a favourable time zone, which will also be suitable in terms of broadcast.
The report, quoting the well-placed sources, further stated that the board and the IPL officials are in the ‘final stages’ of deciding the venue that can accommodate the entire entourage - including the 10 franchise delegations and a large crew involving two broadcasters - Jio and Disney Star.
Even though Saudi Arabia is likely to be ‘expensive’ as compared to Dubai, the BCCI wants to tap into new markets with the IPL being the most popular cricket league in the world.
The franchises are waiting for official confirmation from the board regarding the venue so that they can start the visa process and sort out other logistical issues as soon as possible.
Talking about the IPL retention rules, each of the 10 franchises can retain up to six cricketers, through the retention and Right To Match (RTM) option.
The auction purse for the franchises has been set at INR 120 crore. The first three retentions will see the auction purse being reduced by Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore and Rs 11 crore, respectively. However, the two other additional retentions will cost more than the third. The fourth and the fifth retentions will see a reduction of Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore, respectively.
It means a team will see its auction purse reduced by a whopping Rs 75 crore on five players, with only Rs 45 crore left in its kitty for the IPL auction. October 31 is the deadline for retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
(With Sportstar Inputs)