IPL 2019 auction: Decoding the rules of the auction, player list, and format

The buzz around the IPL auctions is quite palpable and as the 351 players go under the hammer, the different teams will have their strategies and tactics in place in order the acquire the services of the players they consider to be the best fit for their scheme of things.

The salary cap for each team has risen from ₹ 80 to 82 crore for the season. Also, for the very first time in 11 years, the IPL will see a different auctioneer with Hugh Edmeades replacing Richard Madley.

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What are the auction rules?

The 351 players in the auction pool will be sorted into groups based on their role, (batsman, bowler, all-rounder) and split into different pots.

- Hugh Edmeades, who will be the auctioneer for the day, will then call out the player’s name following which the teams will start the bidding war by raising their paddles. The base price will be called out first and it will escalate if there are more than one team fighting it out to avail the player. The team with the highest bid at the end will snap up the player.

- Only when all teams save 1 back out and the auctioneer calls out ‘sold’ will the bidding conclude.

- If none of the teams raise the paddle and if the auctioneer believes that there will be a stalemate in the affairs, the player remains unsold.

- These unsold players will go back into the pot and if the franchises want them back they can be brought back in the final phase of the auctions.

ALSO READ: IPL Auction 2019 - List of players

The highest base price, that a select group of players have listed themselves for, is INR 2 crore. This list includes elite international cricketers like Brendon McCullum, Chris Woakes, Lasith Malinga, Colin Ingram, Shaun Marsh, Corey Anderson, Sam Curran, Angelo Mathews and D’Arcy Short.

Jaydev Unadkat, who was the suprise package of the last auction, has been let go by the Rajasthan Royals due to his below par performances. But putting the setback behind him, the left arm paceman has listed himself with a base price of INR 1.5 crore, which is the highest for an Indian player. He shares this figure with nine other foreign players. Among the 19 players who have listed themselves at INR. 1 Crore, there are only four Indians - Yuvraj Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohammed Shami and Axar Patel.