IPL chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed the future of mega auction, the marquee event that last took place ahead of the 2022 season
Earlier this week, the Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, Arun Dhumal, made a big remark seemingly confirming the mega auction following the conclusion of the 2024 season. This year’s season begins on March 22 with the high voltage clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chepauk, and will end on May 26.
A still from IPL Auction 2023 (BCCI-IPL)
Mega auctions, a hallmark event in the IPL calendar, occur every three years, offering franchises a golden opportunity to revamp their team rosters entirely. Notably, the previous season witnessed a mini auction held in Dubai, where Australian speedster Mitchell Starc claimed the title of the IPL’s most expensive player in the tournament’s history.
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In a conversation with Sportstar, Dhumal spoke on the certainty of the mega auction for the 2025 season of the IPL. A crucial aspect of these auctions is the provision for teams to retain a select group of 3-4 players, while revamping the remaining squad.
“We will have the mega auction for sure, where you get to choose three-four players and then you have a new team. That makes it more interesting and that format will continue,” said Dhumal.
“Hopefully, the mega auction will be as big and as good as we have had earlier given newer talents coming in not from India and other countries. Teams like Afghanistan have also benefitted as they could showcase their talent,” Dhumal added.
Two new franchises were added ahead of the mega auction last year, with Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants making their respective debuts in the 2022 season. The Titans went on to win the title in their maiden IPL appearance.
The BCCI has released the schedule for only the first two weeks of the tournament this year, owing to the Lok Sabha elections, likely scheduled for May later this year. The final decision on the remaining schedule will be made once the Election Commission confirms the final dates for the nationwide polling.
Additionally, the tournament ends on May 26 to allow the players time to prepare for the T20 World Cup; India’s opening match of the marquee WC takes place on June 5 against Ireland.
“This time the challenge is that we are starting with the T20 World Cup in the first week of June, and we were planning to close the tournament by May 25 or May 26 as the team will have to travel to the US and that’s a different territory altogether,” said Dhumal.
“For the first time, the tournament will be held there and it’s a new thing, so the players need to be there early to have some sort of practice games ahead of the tournament.”
