IPL Mega Auction to be Held on November 24-25: Auction in Saudi Arabia; Big Bids Expected for Pant, KL Rahul, and Shreyas

The IPL mega auction will take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During this time, the third and fourth days of the first Test match between India and Australia will be played in Perth. Last year, a mini auction was held in Dubai, but this year, a mega auction is set to take place in Saudi Arabia.

Big bids are expected for players like Rishabh Pant, who was released by Delhi Capitals, former Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the champion Kolkata Knight Riders.

204 Player Spots Vacant Across 10 Teams in IPL Mega Auction

The IPL committee set October 31, 2024, as the deadline for teams to retain players before the mega auction. A total of 46 players were retained by the 10 teams. As a result, 204 player spots remain vacant across the teams. Over 1,000 players will participate in the auction to fill these vacant spots.

Punjab Kings Have the Highest Remaining Purse in IPL Mega Auction

This time, the IPL committee has provided teams with a purse of ₹120 crore to purchase players. Punjab Kings, having retained only two players, have the highest remaining purse of ₹110.50 crore. All other teams have less than ₹85 crore remaining in their purses.

Rajasthan Royals spent ₹79 crore to retain 6 players, leaving them with around ₹41 crore. Hyderabad and Mumbai retained 5 international players each, leaving them with ₹45 crore in their purses.

IPL Mega Auction Happens Once Every 4 Years

The IPL mega auction occurs once every four years, while a mini auction is held annually. Last year, a mini auction was held in Dubai, where Australian players Mitchell Starc was bought for ₹24.75 crore and Pat Cummins for ₹20.50 crore. The last mega auction took place before the 2022 IPL, when the Lucknow and Gujarat teams were added to the league.

Klaasen Retained for ₹23 Crore by Sunrisers Hyderabad

Before the retention deadline, Sunrisers Hyderabad retained wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen for ₹23 crore, making him the most expensive player in the retention list. Following him, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) retained Nicholas Pooran, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) retained Virat Kohli for ₹21 crore each.

5 Teams in Need of a Captain for IPL 2024

The most surprising retention decision was made by the champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals, as both teams released their young captains. 

Kolkata also does not have an RTM (Right to Match) card, meaning if the team wishes to bring back Shreyas Iyer, they will have to win the bidding war for him. This leaves five teams in need of a captain for the upcoming IPL season.

Delhi Capitals certainly have 2 RTM cards remaining, which allows them to retain Rishabh Pant even after entering the auction. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) released Faf du Plessis, Lucknow Super Giants released KL Rahul, and Punjab Kings released Sam Curran. Virat Kohli could potentially take up the captaincy for RCB, while the remaining four teams will need to acquire a new captain through the auction.

4 Teams Need a Wicketkeeper Ahead of IPL Mega Auction

Before the mega auction, only 6 teams retained wicketkeeper-batsmen. Big bidding is expected in the auction for players like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, Ishan Kishan, Phil Salt, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Glenn Phillips, Jonny Bairstow, and Jitesh Sharma.

Among them, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians will place major bids for wicketkeepers, as these teams have not retained any. Additionally, Chennai Super Kings will look to acquire a backup for MS Dhoni, while the remaining 5 teams will also need a backup wicketkeeper.

Punjab Kings Have 4 RTM Cards for IPL Mega Auction

Punjab Kings retained only 2 players, leaving them with 4 RTM (Right to Match) cards to potentially buy back 4 players in the auction. Bangalore will have 3 RTM cards, while Delhi will have 2. Hyderabad and Rajasthan have no RTM cards, while the remaining 5 teams each have 1 RTM card available.

What is a Right to Match (RTM) Card?

A Right to Match (RTM) card allows a team to retain a player who was previously part of their squad, even if the player is put up for auction. Teams that have retained fewer than 6 players are given RTM cards in the auction to potentially buy back a player they previously released.

Let’s understand RTM with an example: Suppose Glenn Maxwell, who was part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last season, is bought by Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹7 crore in the auction. Now, if RCB wishes to keep Maxwell, they can use an RTM card to match MI’s bid and bring him back to their team.

However, MI also has the option to increase their bid for Maxwell. For instance, MI could bid ₹10 crore for Maxwell after RCB uses their RTM. If RCB still wants Maxwell, they will have to pay ₹10 crore to retain him, using one RTM card. If RCB decides not to use their RTM, Maxwell will go to MI for ₹10 crore.