The IPL 2026 auction will reportedly be held on December 15, and the location is set to be in India. The two previous IPL auctions took place in Dubai in 2023 and Jeddah in 2024. This time, the mini-auction might be held in India, though an official decision has not yet been made, Times of India stated.

The IPL franchises must finalize their final releases and retentions by November 15. The BCCI was reportedly contemplating a number of Gulf locations for the auction, of which the franchises were unofficially informed, according to an earlier report from Cricbuzz.

Although other Middle Eastern nations like Oman and Qatar are also being considered, Abu Dhabi has emerged as the frontrunner. Though it did not mention the city, a recent report in the TOI stated that India will host the IPL auction for the first time since 2022.

The report also stated that the Women's Premier League (WPL) will take place on November 27 in Delhi. This auction will be the first mega auction in WPL history since its inauguration.

For the first time, franchises will also be allowed to use a right-to-match (RTM) option at the auction to buy back a player from their 2025 squad.

The WPL franchises have already finalized their list of released players and retained talents. Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues were all retained by their respective teams, the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals.

However, UP Warriorz astonished everyone by keeping only one player in Shweta Sehrawat, and releasing Deepti Sharma, India's Player of the Tournament in the Women's World Cup, as well as Australia captain Alyssa Healy.

The Gujarat Giants have kept two Australian legends, Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney, while the Bengaluru club has retained Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil.

(Times of India report)