There has been a lot of buzz surrounding around the next edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) since it will take place outside the country due to general elections. Before that, players across the globe will be up for grabs in the much-awaited IPL 2019 auction.

As per a report published in Mumbai Mirror, the mega-auction of the cash-rich league will be held on December 17 and 18. Jaipur is considered to be the most likely venue and this has been informed to the franchises recently.

Report also claims that some of the franchises are not quite pleased with the announcement of dates as they wanted the auction to be held after the venue is known.

“We wanted the auction to be conducted after the venue is known so that we could have chosen our players accordingly but the BCCI has its own timelines to follow,” a franchise official told Mumbai Mirror, while another said, “We understand that the venue would be known by then.”

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have informed the BCCI about their players’ availability in IPL 2019. Keeping in mind the ICC World Cup 2019 in mind, CA and ECB won’t allow their players to take part in IPL beyond May 1. The World Cup is slated to be played in England from May 31.

There is, however, no news from other boards although it is learnt that the Kiwi cricketers will be available till the end of the league.

The itinerary of IPL 2019 has not been released yet but the showpiece event is expected to start on March 29 and culminate in the third week of May.

There is a talk that the Proteas players will be leaving the tournament after May 12 but there is no clarity if the competition were to be held in South Africa itself, which is a distinct possibility.

(With inputs from Mumbai Mirror)