IPL 2025: Riyadh to host mega auction on November 24, 25 as BCCI targets new markets

The dates and venue for the IPL 2025 mega auction are almost finalized. It is believed that the mega auction will be held in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh on November 24 and 25, as per Sportstar.

The Indian Premier League auction of last year was held in Dubai, UAE, but this time, it will be held in a different city, also in the Middle East. This will be the first time that an IPL auction will be held in Riyadh or any other city in Saudi Arabia.

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IPL 2025 mega auction to be held in Riyadh

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informally shared a itinerary with the franchises about the mega auctions but is yet to make a official announcement. The Board is expected to make an announcement in a few days.

London and Singapore were also in the fray to host these auctions but Saudi Arabia was considered due to a favorable time zone, suitable for broadcasting it. The broadcasting of IPL auctions is a major revenue generator as well, which makes Saudi Arabia a viable option.

Some sources have revealed that the BCCI and the IPL officials are in the concluding stages of finalizing the venue that can accommodate a massive delegation including the ten franchises and the crew from the broadcasters Disney Star and Jio.

Official announcement by BCCI expected soon

The delegation is likely to stay for a period of three days and the auction will take place for two days. It will be an important occasion for all the franchises who will be aiming to lay down a solid base for the upcoming years.

The franchises are awaiting a formal announcement by the BCCI regarding the venue and the dates in order to sort out the logistical issues as early as possible. The board is likely to give an official intimation to the teams in a few days time.

Why was Riyadh, Saudi Arabia picked as the venue?

Saudi Arabia is considered to be an expensive venue as compared to Dubai. The city of Dubai also has the experience of holding ICC events and meetings as the headquarters of ICC are based there.

But the BCCI reckons that they need to take the event into new markets in order to allow the game grow in less popular cricketing nations like Saudi Arabia. The IPL is the most popular T20 league in the world with the highest amount of revenue involved in it.

The Indian Premier League is among the top 15 most expensive leagues in the world. The tournament is highly popular in India with the world's top cricketers involved in it.

The franchises will have to submit a list of retained players before the mega auction. The deadline for the retained players list is October 31. According to the new IPL rules, a team can retain a maximum of six players with one of them to be uncapped. A maximum of two uncapped players can be retained by a team.