The IPL 2022 mega auction will take place in Bengaluru in the second week of February.
"The auction will be in Bengaluru, the exact date is not finalised. But it would be held between February 11-13," a source in the known development told ANI.
Meanwhile, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to lead the Ahmedabad-based Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.
"Yes, Hardik Pandya is being looked at as the skipper for Ahmedabad. The final decision is expected to come out soon," the source added.
runs at a Strike Rate of 154
wickets
TrophiesPaltan, send a if you will miss the iconic Kung-Fu Pandya moments, his match winning performances and his energy in the MI Blue & Gold #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/0niTWQamME
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 1, 2021
In November last year, all the existing IPL franchises had revealed the list of their retained players ahead of the mega auction of the upcoming season.
Hardik Pandya was released from Mumbai Indians and the all-rounder will lead the newly formed Ahmedabad-based IPL team in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Glenn Maxwell are among some of the big names that the existing franchises have decided to retain for IPL 2022.
The two new IPL franchises -- Lucknow and Ahmedabad have a budget of Rs 33 crore to pick three players who go back into the pool before the mega auction begins.
For the eight franchises, rules were that they cannot retain more than three Indians (capped/uncapped). They cannot retain more than two overseas players and not more than two uncapped Indian players.
For the two new franchises -- Lucknow and Ahmedabad -- they cannot pick more than two Indian players (capped/uncapped). They cannot pick more than one overseas player and more than one Indian uncapped player.
BCCI keeps overseas option open to organise IPL 2022 due to rising COVID-19 cases in India
Following a sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in India yet again, there are several reports coming in that the Indian Premier League 2022, scheduled to take place in April, might move out of the country once again. Meanwhile, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official on Sunday (January 9) said that the board is prioritising holding the tournament in India but the decision will be dependent on what the state governments decide.
As per a Sports Tak report, the board is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and no decision has been taken as of now with regards to venues for the tournament.
“BCCI is exploring all options which include overseas IPL as well. But the focus is to host the IPL in India for sure. As of now the priority is the auction, and the board will soon take a call,” it said.
The 2020 edition was entirely held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While the 2021 IPL was initially scheduled to be held in India behind closed doors, the league had to be postponed halfway through due to a rising number of cases within the bio-bubbles amidst the deadly second wave of the virus in the country.
It was then resumed and completed later in the year in the UAE. Recently, the Indian cricket board recently postponed all upcoming domestic tournaments, including the Ranji Trophy, due to the pandemic.
