IPL 2021: Mini-Auction Set To Take Place On February 18

The mini-auction ahead of the 2021 IPL season is set to take place on February 18, a BCCI official was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.

However, the venue for the event is yet to be locked in, according to the same official.

“The auction will be held on February 18. The venue is yet to be decided,” the official said.

Apart from the venue for the mini-IPL auction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is also yet to decide as to where the 14th edition of the cash-rich league will take place.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has repeatedly asserted that the board wants to stage the tournament on home soil but no official decision on the same has been taken thus far.

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was scheduled to take place in India.

However, the proliferation of the coronavirus and the subsequent situation in the country had forced the apex cricketing body in the country to not only postpone the event till September 2020 but also move it to the bio-secure venues of the United Arab Emirates.

Four months on, the situation has steadily improved in the country as far as Covid-19 cases are concerned and the BCCI is currently staging the domestic T20 competition- Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy- across six bio-secure venues.

India is also set to host England for a full-fledged series consisting of four Tests, five T20Is, and three One-day Internationals in three venues- Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune- starting next month and the successful staging of the event could pave way for IPL 2021 to take place in the country itself.

Meanwhile, each of the eight franchises has already submitted the list of players that they have retained ahead of the mini-auction.

With the likes of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and several other stars back in the auction pool, it will be interesting to see how the franchises further bolster their respective squads ahead of the 2021 season.

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