The Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction for next year’s tournament will be held in India, after being held in three foreign locations in the last three years, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed on Wednesday.
Goa will host the player auction for IPL 2027, after Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were the host countries in the past three editions.
Although a fixed date is yet to be confirmed, the IPL 2027 auction is expected to be held in the second week of December, reported Cricinfo, and will be the last mini-auction of the 2023-27 cycle. The IPL Governing Council in 2024 had announced that IPL 2027 would be held between March 14 and May 30 window.
The city of Goa is not new to IPL auction. Known for its scenic beaches, Portuguese colonial heritage, and vibrant coastal culture, Goa played host to the IPL 2009 player auction, with three names – England’s Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff and Bangladesh’s Mashrafe Mortaza – grabbing the headlines for record bids.
While Flintoff and Pietersen attracted bids of USD 1.55 million each by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – costliest at that time – Mortaza triggered a bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings.
The then Bangladesh pacer went to KKR eventually for a whopping USD 600,000, from a base price of USD 50,000 with Bollywood superstar and co-owner Shahrukh Khan at the auction table.
High-profile trade before IPL 2027 auction
Months before the IPL 2027 auction, Rishabh Pant returned to Delhi Capitals from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a high-profile trade deal. Pant returned to the franchise where he spent nine seasons between 2016 and 2024. One of the defining faces of the franchise for nearly a decade, he also captained the Delhi Capitals in 43 matches from 2021 to 2024.
Pant, who was acquired by LSG for a record-breaking ₹27 crore – the highest winning bid in IPL history, took a ₹12 crore pay cut to return to Delhi Capitals. On the other hand, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep joined LSG at his existing fee of ₹13.50 crore as a part of the trade.
Other personnel changes
Besides the Rishabh-Kuldeep trade, former India pacer Zaheer Khan joined CSK in one of the biggest suprises as a head coach after the departure of New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have brought in Zubin Bharucha as director of performance.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whom KKR appoint as their captain after Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement. There are rumours of Hardik Pandya linked to KKR, but nothing has officially come out yet. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions of IPL.