The auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 12 is set to get special treatment as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to change its timing. The auction is scheduled to take place in Jaipur.

Usually, the auction started at 10 am and ended by 5-6 pm. However, this year, the starting time has been moved to 3 pm. The change is more for two reasons.

The first being that BCCI and IPL officials, along with broadcast partners Star Sports wanted the program to get the highest viewership and wished to give it a primetime slot between 7 pm and 10 pm. However, viewership is highest in the afternoons and evenings; and hence they have gone with a day-night affair.

A communication to the IPL franchises sent on Saturday morning, states that the auction will start at 3 pm and end by 9.30 pm.

The second reason is that the fifth day of the second Test between India and Australia in Perth is scheduled for December 18 and auction managers did not want the proceedings to clash with the match Down Under.

“It does not make sense to have the auction running parallel to the Test match which has potential to go down the wire and produce a thrilling finish,” a source with direct knowledge of the change told Mirror.

The IPL franchises are however of opinion that the auction should take place once the venue of the IPL 2019 is decided. The IPL 2019 schedule is linked to the schedule of the general elections next year.

IPL officials have told franchise representatives to be in Jaipur by December 17, when an informal workshop can be conducted. They have been also informed that the final list of players who will be available for next year’s league will be circulated to them in the first week of December.

(Inputs from Ahmedabad Mirror)