IPL considering doing away with big auctions

The IPL governing council is planning to do away with mega auctions and is considering a draft system for new players, which would act as a feeder system for the teams as well.

The IPL general council is also working on addressing the issue of players being unsold on the second day of the auction as teams started to run out of money .

V.V.S. Laxman may have stressed on the need for a full auction periodically with option to retain the core. But the Indian Premier League (IPL) authorities are considering modifications in the system to help teams maintain better continuity.

“This time, we had this big auction after four years because we had two suspended teams for (the last) two years. So we extended the player regulations by one year and had the auction after four years,” Hemang Amin, the IPL chief operating officer, told reporters at the conclusion of the two-day auction.

READ: Not bothered by what people say about IPL, says Rajiv Shukla

“Going forward, the thinking is that we will not have this mega auction but we will also consider having a draft system for new players which acts as a feeder system for the team also. The IPL GC is already thinking on those lines... how to cut down on the big auctions and have continuity with the teams.”

With the teams starting to run out of the allotted purse, a better part of the second day's proceedings – just like the earlier big auctions – saw a majority of the players presented remaining unsold. Amin said the IPL officials are working towards addressing the issue.

“If you look at the 2014 auction, we had presented around 320 players then, before going into the accelerated bidding process. This time, we have taken learnings from previous years,” Amin said. “We presented 170 players of which around 120 were sold, so if you compare to 2014 when 200 players went unsold, this time it was 50 or 60 who went unsold. Also on day one, 70 (78) out of 110 were sold, so we are trying to reduce the number of unsold players and effectively manage the time as well.”

Laxman, the Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor, on Saturday had backed the idea of a full auction. “Considering the availability of the players and all other factors, the franchises usually plan for a three-year cycle, so I fully back a full action provided there is an option to retain a few players and right to match cards also available,” Laxman said.