IPL 2026 Auction

With the cricketing world gearing up for another IPL mega auction, we are taking a look at how the mega auction is different than the other auction. The IPL mega auction is usually held every three years, once the contracts of the players end.

The mega auction gives the franchises the opportunity to completely overhaul the squads. While the franchises are allowed to retain a handful of players to ensure that they manage to retain the core of the team, they are still required to build the team from scratch every three years.

The first mega auction was done in 2011 followed by 2014, 2018 and 2022. The IPL 2025 auction will be the fifth mega auction. In other years, the teams are allowed to retain as many players as they want before the 'IPL mini auction'.

IPL auction date and time:

For the second year in a row, the auction will be held outside India. IPL 2025 will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It will be two-day event and will be taking place on November 24 and 25. On November 24, the auction will begin at 12:30 local time (15:00 IST).

IPL 2025 auction venue: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

IPL 2025 auction date: November 24, 25

IPL 2025 auction time: 15:00 IST (12:30 local time)

Number of players participating in IPL 2025 auction:

While 1574 players had registered for IPL 2025 auction, the list has been shortened to 574 players. Of the 574 players, 366 are Indian players and 208 are overseas.

Here is the full detail about players participating in IPL 2025 auction:

Total players participating: 574
Indian players: 366
Overseas players: 208
Capped Indian players: 48
Capped overseas players: 193
Associate players: 3
Uncapped Indian players: 318
Uncapped overseas players: 12

IPL 2025 auction rules:

What is Right-to-Match (RTM) option at the IPL 2025 auction?

The Right-to-Match or the RTM option allows a team to buy back a player at the auction. If a player is bought by another franchise at the auction, the franchise that he was part of in the last season can buy him back at the end by exercising the RTM option. The franchise also needs to match the highest bid to buy the player.

For the upcoming auction, the BCCI has also made a slight change to the RTM rule. After the player's previous team matches the highest bid, the franchise that made the winning bid will be given another chance to raise the bid. In such a case, the player's previous team will have to match the new bid to secure his services.

For IPL 2025, the teams were allowed to retain up to six players. The six players could either be retained outright before the auction, or can be bought back using the RTM options, or a combination of both.

Marquee players for IPL 2025 auction:

For IPL 2025 mega auction, there are two sets of marquee players. Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Mitchell Starc are in the first set while Yuzvendra Chahal, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are in the second set.

IPL 2025 auction bidding process and rules:

The aforementioned marquee players will be up for grabs at first during IPL 2025 mega auction. The marquee players will be separated into two groups of six each.

After that, the capped players will go under the hammer. The capped players will be divided into sets based on their specialisation - batsmen, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast-bowlers and spinners.

It will be followed by the auction of the unsold players. The unsold players will also be divided into sets on the basis of their specialisation.

IPL 2025 auction accelerated phase:

The accelerated phase in the IPL 2025 auction will take place after player number 116 is auctioned (subject to timings). The accelerated phase will cover all the remaining players from 117 to 574.

Even after that, the unsold players can get IPL contracts. After the accelerated phase, the franchises will be asked to submit names of unsold players. Those players will be auctioned once again in another accelerated phase.

Un sold