Explained: How the IPL 2022 mega auction will happen?

The cricketing world will be glued to its television sets, as the IPL 2022 Mega Auction will be held in Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday. Ten teams will be involved in an intense bidding war for 590 cricketers going under the hammer. As the teams fight it out to build their best possible squad, we present everything you need to know before the same and how it will all work.

How is an auction conducted?
The auction process involves an auctioneer who calls out the player's name, his nation, playing role, and his base price. Upon this, the teams bid, starting with his base price. The player cannot be owned less than its base price. As the bids keep coming in, his bidding price increases and reaches a point until there are no further bids. At this point, at auctioneer calls for additional bids thrice before banging his hammer to signal the sale of the player to the last bidder for the last bid price.

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How are the players classified?
The players are generally classified into five groups, i.e. batters, wicketkeepers, all-rounders, spinners and pacers. They are further divided into capped and uncapped sections, while the overseas players are auctioned separately based on the categories.

How many players can a franchisee own, and what is their purse amount?
A franchise can own a maximum of 25 players, while it can accommodate eight overseas players. The purse amount has been limited to ₹90 crore. However, based on the pre-auction retentions and signings, the amount is adjusted before heading into the auction.

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How is the base price decided?
A player decides the base price before the auction that he submits to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), along with a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from its respective state or national board. The top-class players usually keep their base price high at about ₹2 crore, ₹1.5 crore or ₹1 crore, before going further down to lakhs. As for the average players, they keep it between ₹75/50/25 lakhs, while the uncapped players set it between ₹10-20 lakh.

What if a player gets unsold?
If a player remains unsold, there is nothing much he can do other than waiting for next season. However, if a player gets unsold in the initial round, he can be owned again during the accelerated process. Also, he can be owned later during the season as a replacement for an injured player or a player who is leaving due to personal reasons or international commitments.

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What is the accelerated process?
Before the accelerated process, every franchise hands out a final list of players it wants to go after in the round. Generally, it is done by the franchises based on the auction purse it has available. There can also be multiple rounds of accelerated process, depending on the interest of a few franchises.

How much do the sold players earn?
Once a franchise successfully owns a player for the bid amount, it has to pay him the winning amount for the period his contract says, i.e. three or four years. As for other scenarios regarding his payment:
- If he wishes to be released at any point, the franchise can let go of him.
- No payment will be made if he wishes to leave before the season starts.
- He would be paid his winning bid amount per season, regardless of the number of matches he plays.
- If the player leaves after a few matches, payment will be made on a pro-rata basis.
- If the franchise wishes a player to leave before the contract, it will have to pay him the agreed amount for the remaining term of the contract.
- If the player gets injured during the season, the franchise covers his medical expenses.

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Can a player be transferred to another franchise?
Yes, there happens to be a transfer window during the season's halfway stage, where a franchise can loan its player/s to another franchise on a mutually agreed fee. However, he is back to his parent franchise once the season is over.

IPL 2022 Mega Auction details
Date and day: February 12-13, 2022 (Saturday-Sunday)
Venue: ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru
Time: 11 AM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (also available in HD)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar