IPL Auction 2020: latest News & Update this week

IPL Auction 2020

No Indian Player at the highest reserve price bracket!!
Where to Watch IPL 2020 Auction?
When will the auction begin?
How to play IPL Fantasy League Online?

We are just few days away from the annual bidding war for the next edition of IPL 2020. The auction will take place in Kolkata on December 19. IPL management has recently released the names of 332 players who will go under the hammer. The administration trimmed down the original list of 971 players to 332 and sent the final list to all the 8 franchises. All the eight franchises will be looking to strengthen particular slots.  This year’s IPL auction 2019 will have a total of 73 slots, of which 29 could be foreign players.

We look at the latest buzz that has been doing rounds for the upcoming IPL auction.

No Indian Player at the highest reserve price bracket!!

In this year’s auction, no Indian cricketer has been placed at the highest reserve price bracket of INR 2 crore. Players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Dale Steyn and former Sri Lankan captain and all-rounder Angelo Mathews are included in this bracket.

Robin Uthappa is the only Indian in the second highest price bracket of INR 1.5 crore while three other capped Indian players — Piyush Chawla, Jaydev Unadkat and Yusuf Pathan have registered for the auction with a base price tag of INR 1 crore.

Exercise of bidding before the actual action

Rajasthan Royal’s COO, Jake Lush McCrum during an interview revealed that they have been tied up simulating the exercise of bidding for the last few days. “The simulator helps us find value estimates for all individuals in the auction. Eight of us sit in a room taking a franchise each, researching their needs and then running through the whole auction’’, he said.

Ready to spend big on Overseas Pacers - Ricky Ponting

Ahead of the IPL auction 2020, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said overseas fast bowlers were going to get a lot of focus and attention. He also said that all-rounders like Chris Woakes, Glenn Maxwell and Jimmy Neesham could be big picks in the upcoming IPL auction.

"Pat Cummins could go for big money, as could Chris Woakes," Ponting in a press meet.

"All-rounders are always interesting in my opinion. Players like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme could all be big picks," he added.

Where to Watch IPL 2020 Auction?

You can watch IPL auction on Star Sports network. You can also stream it on Hotstar.

When will the auction begin?

According to IPL’s official website, the auction will start at 3:30 PM IST.

The IPL 2020 has been scheduled between March 23, 2020 and May 12, with the opening match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians scheduled at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

As the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin in few months, cricket lovers are excited to play the gruelling ‘IPL Fantasy League’.

How to play IPL Fantasy League Online?

Step 1: Download and sign-up with one of the popular fantasy platforms available in the market like MyTeam11, Dream11, etc.

Step 2: Pick any IPL match and create your fantasy cricket team as per the instructions of the platform, using your skills.

Step 3: Select your captain and vice-captain and join a contest.

Step 4:  Get ready to win big.