UAE, Saudi Arabia frontrunners to host IPL player auction to be held in November 2024

Hyderabad: The mega player auction for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League could be held in the United Arab Emirates or in Saudi Arabia at the end of November, 2024.

Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are yet to make a formal announcement, news reports suggest that the mega auction could be held on foreign shores, with Saudi Arabia being the frontrunner to host the mega event.

The player auctions have been held on foreign shores, mostly in Dubai, in the past. However, the Indian cricket board is keen to tap into the potential available in other markets too while holding a conducive broadcast time for viewers in India.

London, Singapore and even Vienna were considered as potential hosts for the IPL mega auction but given a favourable time zone for broadcast, the auction will be held either in Saudi Arabia or in the United Arab Emirates.

The IPL organising committee entourage have been on the home run stretch of finalising the venue and other logistics.

While the IPL organising committee has favoured Saudi Arabia among other venues for the sole reason of tapping into newer fan bases and newer markets, the cost factor is also being discussed as hosting an event of such a magnitude, over a span of couple of days, involves a lot of expenditure.

However, given the potential of a newer fan base, the money that Saudi Arabia pumps into leagues, it could be given the nod to host the IPL mega player auction.

The franchises are currently in the wave of retaining players as the last date for submitting the player retention list is October 31, 2024. The players, who all have been released, will be moved to the auction pool.

However, an official word from the BCCI on the venue and dates are still awaited.