IPL 2021 Auction on February 18 – Venue decided!

The IPL 2021 auction for the 14th edition of Indian Premier League will be held on February 18 in Chennai, the BCCI confirmed on January 27. No quarantine was prescribed for the owners attending the auction but they will have to fulfill the criteria of two negative RT-PCR tests if they were to be part of the event.

The venue for the event is the ITC Grand Chola Hotel in Chennai.

The BCCI asked the franchise owners and representatives to have a COVID-19 test done 72 hours before the auction day and one on arrival at the venue, Grand Chola in Chennai (2 Tests in total). The entry will be allowed if both tests come out negative.

About 56 players were released out of which a few were traded across teams. Rajasthan Royals traded out Robin Uthappa to Chennai Super Kings, while Harshal Patel and Daniel Sams were traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore from Delhi Capitals.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained the most number of players – 22 – while Royal Challengers Bangalore have 14 players. Kings XI Punjab will enter the auction with the biggest purse of INR 53.20 crores, followed by RCB, who have INR 35.90 crore available to them. Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers have the least amount of purse remaining – INR 10.75 crore.

Rajasthan Royals, who after releasing Steve Smith, will look to fill their three overseas slots and have a purse of INR 34.85 crores at the IPL 2021 auction table. Kings XI Punjab have five overseas spots to fill while Mumbai Indians and RCB can also buy four overseas players each. The auction is expected to be a short one with just one day designated for the event.

ALSO READ: Complete List of Players Released and Retained with Team Budgets