IPL 2021 auction has been finalized to take place on February 18 in Chennai. The team owners will be attending the auction along with a few members to complete their squads for the the 14th edition of the IPL. BCCI has implemented pretty lenient COVID-19 safety measures for the auction.

No quarantine period has been made mandatory for the franchise owners for the mega event. They have been instructed to take a RT-PCR test 72 hours before the event and one at the venue. The owners will be allowed to enter the auction if both the tests return negative results.

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BCCI CEO and IPL COO, Hemang Amin, relayed out the announcement to all of the franchise owners via email.

Hemang Amin wrote in the email to franchise owners, "Please note that the team members attending the player auction in Chennai will need to do a RT-PCR test 72 hours before the auction date and submit the negative report.

Further, there will a test done in Chennai at the venue for the members attending the auction, details of which will be shared in due course."

He also mentioned that the trade window for IPL 2021 will close on 11 February, which is exactly a week before the date of the auction.

"The Player registration for IPL 2021 Auction is in process and the Auction Register will be circulated... The trading window will remain open till seven days prior to the auction date and will close on 11th February 2021 at 5:00 PM (IST)," he added.

A maximum of 13 members per franchise will be allowed at the venue, Grand Chola in Chennai, for the auction. 8 of those members will be allowed at the table, while 5 will be seated in the gallery.

(With inputs from Cricbuzz)