The fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, largely known as IPL, saw Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lifting the tournament trophy for the fourth time since its inception. In a disjointed season, the Super Kings came out victorious with the IPL continuing to be one of the world’s most-watched sporting events and the matches providing some thrilling entertainment to cricket fans around the world.
Since the tournament’s completion and the culmination of the ICC men’s T20 world cup, the focus has finally shifted to the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction. Let’s look at a comprehensive analysis of IPL 2022 auction dates, teams, rules, and more.
When is the IPL 2022 Auction scheduled to take place?
The Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) recently announced that the IPL 2022 mega auction will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13 2022.
When will the IPL Season 15 start?
The 15th season of the Indian Premier League is likely to start on 2nd April with an electrifying showdown between the two top contenders in Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The match is expected to be played at Chennai’s home ground Chepauk. The final of the upcoming season is expected to be played in the first week of June 2022.
Are there any new franchises in the upcoming IPL?
In exciting news, you can expect to see two new teams that will compete with the established pool of eight franchises. The BCCI has already confirmed Ahmedabad, owned by CVC Capitals, and Lucknow, owned by RPSG Group, to be the two new inductees in the IPL. They will compete against the existing teams –Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The bidding for these two new inductees was held on 25th October in Dubai after the much-awaited India vs. Pakistan thriller in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. RPSG had to pay a whopping INR 7,090 Crores to get the operational reign of Lucknow, while CVC Capitals paid INR 5,625 to acquire Ahmedabad. The governing council of IPL confirmed their induction on 25th October.
New rules for the IPL 2022 auction
According to the IPL 2022 Auction rules, each of the established eight Indian Premier League teams can retain a maximum of four players from their IPL 2021 squad. The franchises can retain a maximum of two overseas cricketers and a maximum of three Indian or domestic cricketers, but the total number of players cannot exceed four.
As for the newly inducted franchises in the IPL, the governing cricket council has allowed them to avail “Special Picks.” According to this provision, the two Ahmedabad and Lucknow-based IPL franchises can buy three players outside the IPL 2022 Auction. However, they can only buy one overseas player and two Indian players from this total.
IPL 2022 retention salary caps
Here’s the retention price for first, second, third, and fourth choice players:
· For Single Player Retention: First Choice (INR 14 Crore)
· For Two Player Retention: First Choice (INR 14 Crore), Second Choice (INR 10 Crore)
· For three Player Retention: First Choice (INR 15 Crore), Second Choice (INR 11 Crore), and Third Choice (INR 7 Crore)
· For Four Player Retentions: First Choice (INR 16 Crore), Second Choice (INR 12 Crore), Third Choice (INR 8 Crore), and Fourth Choice (INR 6 Crore)
RTM card is not allowed in IPL 2022 Auction
The BCCI has scrapped the Right to Match (RTM) card that allows an established franchise to buy an unretained player who played for them in the previous season for the winning bidding amount the player receives in the current auction. Experts suggest that the BCCI must have taken this step due to the four-player retention rule and the unfair RTM to the two newly inducted franchises.
Total purse value for each franchise
The total purse value for each IPL franchise has been raised from INR 85 Crores to INR 90 Crores. The BCCI has also claimed that the purse value will continue to increase in the upcoming two seasons. It is expected to shoot up to INR 95 Crores in IPL 2023 and INR 100 Crores in IPL 2024.
IPL 2022 Schedule
The schedule window for IPL 2022 is expected to increase due to the induction of the two new franchises. The total number of games played will increase up to 74. The board has reserved a window of more than two months between April and June for the scheduled matches. The teams will be divided into groups, and the leading teams will go into the semis.
Cricket fans from around the world look forward to the auction and the start of the IPL season and the competition is expected to draw big crowds as the competition returns to India having been held in the UAE last season.
Maximum Number of Players per Franchise
Until last season, the IPL has allowed each team to acquire a maximum number of 25 players and a minimum of 18 players, including overseas ones. However, this time, we could see an increase in the number of players.
Big-name players
The 2021 IPL mega-auction threw up a few surprises with South African all-rounder Chris Morris fetching the highest bid of INR 16.25 crore ($2.2m) paid by the Rajasthan Royals. New Zealander Kyle Jamieson was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 15 crore ($2.06m) and Australian Glenn Maxwell was also bought by the Challengers for INR 14.25 crore ($1.96m).
This year, the IPL auction will follow hot on the heels of the Ashes and this could have an impact on whether some of the players from Australia and England decide to put their names forward for the auction. England captain Joe Root has already ruled himself out, instead deciding to focus on Test cricket whilst there are also doubts about Australia captain Pat Cummins and fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
The bio bubble that players will be forced to inhabit during the IPL season is proving prohibitive to some overseas players and with the addition of two teams to the roster this season, that bio bubble will be extended to around 22 weeks which is a long time for some of these players to be away from home and from their family.
Starc would be one of the big-name picks if he chooses to enter the auction and he proved himself handy with the bat as well as the ball during the Ashes. His 39 from 39 balls in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval showed what he can do when he has the freedom to swing and many teams will be watching his progress with interest.
