The IPL 2019 Auction will be a one-day affair as it moves from its regular programming of being stretched over two days. The auction will allow all the IPL 2019 franchises to strengthen up their teams and be sound with their strategies.
The teams had a busy IPL trade window in November. Several players were released with some franchises trading in players from other teams. Most teams had also retained their main pool of players.
So now it will be about picking the right players they think would be best suited for their side.
Meanwhile, with the removal of Richard Madley, this time around a different auctioneer will be in charge of the proceedings. That man is Hugh Edmeades but he will be overseeing an event that is far more low key compared to the yesteryear mega-auctions.
Players in the auction pool
There are a total of 346 players up for grabs when the auction starts on December 18 (Tuesday) in Jaipur. A whopping 226 Indian players are available in the auction. South Africa (26), Australia (23) and the West Indies (18) follow suit.
Timing, TV listing and other key info
The auction is set to start at 3:00 PM on Tuesday and get over by 9:30 PM. The live broadcast will be held on the Star Sports network.
One can also stream the auction live on Hotstar. Moreover, 70 spots are available across eight franchises. The teams had submitted their final list of retained and released players in November.
Slots and salary cap available for each side
MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings have a settled side and can buy just two Indian players. Kolkata Knight Riders have to get in some much needed depth. They can acquire seven Indian and five foreigners.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab can buy 10 and 15 players respectively. Both are in search for addressing key issues and getting the mix right.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have five slots available. Mumbai Indians (7), Rajasthan Royals (9) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (10) fill up the list.
A look at the salary cap available for each team –
Royal Challengers Bangalore- Rs 18.15 crore, Mumbai Indians- Rs 11.15 crore, Delhi Capitals- Rs 25.50 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad- Rs 9.70 crore, Chennai Super Kings- Rs 8.40 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders- Rs 15.20 crore, Kings XI Punjab- Rs 36.20 crore, Rajasthan Royals- Rs 20.95 crore.
How could the day go for the teams?
KXIP need an overhaul and expect the franchise to have a busy day. Their salary cap ensures them to go big and get some massive deals in place.
DC and KKR need strengthening in every department. A strong bench strength is the need of the hour. MI, RR and RCB will only go for a couple of players.
CSK and SRH are expected to be quiet, especially after being well sorted.
IPL 2019 Auction: Key difference?
The player salary cap has been increased. The cap for each team last season was a measly Rs 66 crores and that has gone up to Rs 80 crore this time. What we might see is a further increase of Rs 82 crore and Rs 85 crore in the next two years respectively.
Also another notable feature is the squad size, which has gone down to 25 from 27. A team can keep a maximum of eight overseas players, as compared to nine last year. The minimum number of players for each team is 18.
Players from the lower categories are set to gain more. All segments for the uncapped players have received a Rs 10 lakh-boost.
Franchises could retain five players with either direct retention or three through Right to Match (RTM) cards during the auction. Teams can only use a maximum of three RTMs, regardless of the number of players retained in the list submitted to the BCCI.
Also if a player has been bought by one franchise, the team that he used to play for in IPL 2018, can use a Right to Match card to match the bid made by the former and keep the player with them. Those teams that have retained three players can only used the RTM card twice in the auction as well.
Players’ base prices
A total of nine players have kept their base price at Rs. 2 crore each.
Brendon McCullum, Chris Woakes, Lasith Malinga, Colin Ingram, Shaun Marsh, Corey Anderson, Sam Curran, Angelo Mathews and D’Arcy Short are in this list.
Another nine players have kept their base prices at Rs. 1.5 crore. They are, Jaydev Unadkat, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Rilee Rossouw, Luke Wright, Alex Carey and Liam Dawson.
Last season’s costliest Indian Jaydev Unadkat, leads the pack of localities. He was released by Rajasthan Royals after just one season.
Indians, who have set their base price at Rs. 1 crore are Yuvraj Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohammed Shami and Axar Patel. These 4 were released by their respective teams. A total of 19 players have a base price of Rs. 1 crore each.