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While there hasn’t been an official announcement from the Indian Premier League Governing Council yet, the venue for the upcoming mini auction has reportedly already been decided. What’s more, the auction will be taking place overseas for the third consecutive year, contrary to reports suggesting that it would be returning to India later this winter.
According to news agency Press Trust of India, the player auction for the 19th season of the world’s biggest T20 league will be taking place in Abu Dhabi in mid-December, marking the second time the event is taking place in the United Arab Emirates.
“Abu Dhabi has been locked in as the auction venue,” a BCCI official told the news agency.
The 2023 mini auction had taken place at the Coca Cola Arena in neighbouring Dubai, marking the first time the glitzy event – which brings together some of the biggest names in cricket as well corporate India and Bollywood – had taken place outside India.
The 2024 mega auction would also take place in the Arabian Peninsula, with Saudi Arabia's Jeddah hosting the event last November.
Date yet to be officially announced by IPL GC
The IPL GC has set 15 November as the deadline for the 10 franchises to announce their list of retained players ahead of the auction. And like the auction venue, there isn’t any confirmation on the date of the event so far, but will likely take place either on 15 or 16 December.
While teams had undergone an extensive overhaul last season due to the mega auction, which allows franchises to retain a maximum of five players – or six, should they choose to forfeit their ‘Right To Match’ card in the auction.
However, a mini auction allows teams to retain a bulk of their squad ahead of an auction, and release a handful of players in order to free up funds for cosmetic changes. Teams also have the freedom to make whosesale changes if they have had disappointing run in the previous season and are eyeing an overhaul of the squad.
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