October 9, 2024

IPL 2025 Mega Auction to Take Place in November End or Early December: Report

The mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to take place at the end of November or in early December, according to sources from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI will announce the rules and regulations for the auction in the coming days.

In the past decade, the IPL has conducted two major auctions, with a four-year gap between them. The first major auction occurred in 2014, followed by another in 2018, when the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings returned after a two-year suspension. Sources close to the BCCI have confirmed that the upcoming auction will likely be held in late November or early December.“IPL 2025 auction will take place in November end or early December this year. Rules of it will be out in a couple of days,” BCCI sources told IANS.

The 2021 mega auction was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in teams extending their players’ contracts by an additional year. Similar to the February 2022 auction and the December 2023 and 2024 auctions, the upcoming IPL mega auction is expected to take place over two days.

In the last mega auction in 2022, teams were allowed to retain up to four players. With the end of the three-year contract cycle approaching, there are mixed opinions among franchises regarding the number of players they should be allowed to retain. Some teams advocate for a higher retention limit, possibly up to eight players, while others prefer to stick with the current cap of four or five.

Read More: ‘I Scored 45 in 21 balls & He Bowed at Me’: Sarfaraz Recalls Incident

Ricky Ponting Poised for Blockbuster Move as Punjab Kings Head Coach in IPL Shake-Up

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has signed a multi-year contract to become the head coach of the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise announced the news through their social media accounts.

“I am grateful to Punjab Kings for presenting me with the opportunity to be the new Head Coach. I am excited to take up the new challenge. I had great conversations with the owners and the management about the way forward and was truly elated to see the alignment of our visions for the team. We all want to repay the fans who have stayed with the franchise over the years and we promise that they will see a much different Punjab Kings going forward,” said Ponting in an official release.

Ricky Ponting previously spent seven years with the Delhi Capitals, beginning in 2018, before stepping down earlier this year after a series of mixed results. Under his leadership, the Capitals reached the playoffs in 2019, 2020, and 2021, with their standout achievement being a runner-up finish in 2020, which marked the team’s first-ever appearance in an IPL final.

Read More: ‘Delhi Capitals Will Offer Him A Retention’: Ricky Ponting On Jake Fraser-McGurk’s Future In IPL

Support Staff to be Finalised by Ponting

Reports indicate that Ricky Ponting will also have a say in selecting the support staff for the Punjab Kings. Last year, the support team included head of cricket development Sanjay Bangar, fast-bowling coach Charl Langveldt, and spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi, alongside former head coach Trevor Bayliss.

Bayliss was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ coaching staff when they won the IPL title in 2012 and 2014 under captain Gautam Gambhir. However, he has struggled to achieve similar success with the Punjab Kings.

Read More: BCCI to Delay Announcement on IPL 2025 Retention Policy Till End of September

PBKS on the lookout for New Captain

The Punjab Kings will also be looking to appoint a new captain following Shikhar Dhawan’s retirement earlier this year. Sam Curran led the team for a few matches last season, but with the mega auction approaching, Ricky Ponting’s primary focus will be determining which players the franchise wishes to retain before the auction.

In July, the Delhi Capitals announced Ponting’s departure. The 49-year-old had been their head coach since the 2018 season, guiding the team to the IPL final in 2020. However, in the past three seasons, the Capitals failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing 5th, 9th, and 6th.

Before his tenure with the Delhi Capitals, Ponting was the head coach of the Mumbai Indians, leading them to victory in the 2015 IPL under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Having played for the Kolkata Knight Riders, he could also be a strong replacement for Gautam Gambhir, who has stepped down from his mentoring role to become the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.

If you enjoy IPL and T20 cricket, you can also explore opportunities for earning through T20 betting!