The Governing Council of the Indian T20 League met virtually on Monday and has opened trading windows till 20th January 2021 for all the franchises. In other words, the teams have to submit names of the players released and retained within a fortnight’s duration. The following auction of the tournament is chiefly to take place on 11th February 2021.
The next edition of the league was rumoured to be a 10 team tournament but the BCCI confirmed that it will go ahead with eight teams this season. The mini-auction would be a day-long event but the venue, time, and other details of the auction are not yet mentioned. It will take place during the break of the first two Test matches between India and England. The hosts welcome England for a four-match Test series which begins on 5th February. The initial two Tests will be held in Chennai, which logistically, would be easier to entertain the auctions. The two nations then move to Ahmedabad for the remainder of the red ball cricket series.
The venue of the 2021 Indian T20 League hasn’t been disclosed yet. Earlier, BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly was firm about the event taking place in India itself, but due to the ongoing pandemic, they are not closing any doors with UAE to be favourite to win the vote. According to reports, the council wants to have a look at how well the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy plays out and then might take a stand. The members will do their best to make the 2021 Indian T20 League in India itself.
Having a confirmation of the venue would make it easier for the franchises to build their team. That is the outset of this cricket auction - to release and retain current players. Each squad is allowed to retain just three players with two players allowed to be retained by the ‘Right To Match’ card. The league enhances every team’s purse by 3 crores and it is largely to remain the same this year too.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Punit Paranjpe
