The pre-show for IPL 2022 has started, and players are rooting to get selected into the team of their choice. However, where they go is rarely up to them. The IPL auctions can be best described as an annual gathering where teams strive to bid for the player of their choice.
This year, the IPL auctions took place on 12 and 13 February, in Bengaluru. Ten players open the auctions- ones who will be on the list of every team. After this, the bids alternate between capped and uncapped players. The players are divided into lots of 62 according to their specialisation (e.g. batsman, bowler, all-rounder, etc).
The base price for any player is INR 20 lakhs, and the highest base price is INR 2 crore. The most sought after players have a base price of INR 2 crore, and the price decreases as lots go on.
The base price of players is as follows (in descending order):
- INR 2 crore
- INR 1.5 crore
- INR 1 crore
- INR 75 lakh
- INR 50 lakh
- INR 40 lakh
- INR 30 lakh
- INR 20 lakh
However, the IPL auction 2022 is different- it is a Mega Auction.
What is an IPL Mega Auction?
Mega auctions are auctions is which every player playing in the IPL is up for bid. In other auctions, teams usually bid for uncapped players, who players who were let go from their team due to any reason.
The mega auctions are a huge deal, and rightfully so. The last mega auction was held in 2018 – five years ago! However, it is to be noted that not every player is let go by their team. Teams have a choice to retain their players, and this year eight teams across the board have chosen to retain 27 players.
Alongside this, the two new teams who will join the IPL this year, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, have already signed on three players each.
97 capped players were up for bidding on 12 February, which was the commencement of the mega auction. On Sunday, the remaining players who put if for bid during the first half of the day (player numbers 98-161).
From player number 162, the bid gears towards uncapped players, so there is a high chance that players are not bought during this round.
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