The Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) has narrowed the dates for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to between December 15 and December 19. This will be preceded by the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction, which is scheduled for December 9. The location of the WPL auction has not been determined, but it will presumably take place in India.
Although no formal notification has been sent to the franchises, there is widespread speculation that the IPL auction will be held in Dubai on December 18 or 19, despite the fact that these are weekdays. Last year, the BCCI contemplated conducting the auction in Istanbul, but ultimately decided on Kochi. Given the precedent set by last year, the Dubai plan may be provisional, but all IPL franchises have been informed that the Gulf city is being considered as the auction location.
Currently, the trading window is open, but there have been no reports of player exchanges between IPL franchises. Since this is the conclusion of the three-year window, it is uncertain whether significant transactions will take place, but some high-salaried players who made minimal contributions in the previous IPL season could be released.
The BCCI has not yet informed the proprietors of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction location and dates. It has been proposed that the league could begin in February of this year. As previously reported by CricAdvisor, the Indian women’s cricket team has international obligations through the middle of January.
Teams have not been informed whether the WPL will be held in a single city, as it was last year when the entire league was hosted in Mumbai, or if it will be conducted in multiple cities this year.
