Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction is to be held on February 12th-13th in Bangalore. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to officially announce the dates, the franchise owners have confirmed that the bidding war will be held on the said dates. A report claims that the portal spoke to each franchise owner to confirm the auction dates. Based on the conversation, the conclusion was reached over February 12th and 13th being the two dates on which the auction will be held.
It also has to be noted that the Indian cricket team will be playing against West Indies while the mega auction will be held in Bengaluru. India and West Indies are slated to face each other in an ODI encounter on February 12th in Kolkata. Despite the clash, the BCCI official said that the auction schedule is final. The board insisted that it will make sure that the match will have no bearing on the auction proceedings. It has to be noted that the broadcaster for both the IPL auction and the match between India and West Indies will be the same Star Sports. As per the report, Star Sports have been informed about the clash in dates, and a reply from them is awaited.
There has been a question mark on the ownership of the Ahmedabad franchise by CVC Capitals over the brand’s investments into betting businesses. As per another report, the matter between the BCCI and CVC Capitals is settled but an official confirmation is awaited. The second new franchise, Lucknow, has reportedly gotten the nod by the BCCI to negotiate deals with their potential new signings ahead of the auction. Both Lucknow and Ahmedabad have a purse balance of Rs 90 crore. Both the franchises can sign a maximum of 3 players before the auction begins in February.