<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/jan/smith-rohit-ipl2017.jpg" alt="IPL 2016 final - Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith" />Steve Smith, the captain of Pune Super Giant and Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma pose with the trophy before the start of the 2017 IPL final. Photo: AFP
The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction promises to be a mega affair with 578 players going under the hammer. The IPL auctions will be held on January 27 and 28 in Bengaluru, which has hosted all previous auctions so far.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has trimmed the auction list to 578 from a whopping 1122 that now comprises 360 Indian players, including 62 capped and 298 uncapped cricketers, along with 182 capped overseas cricketers, 34 uncapped overseas players and 2 cricketers from Associate Nations.
Ben Stokes factor Ben Stokes will be the most sought-after overseas player for the franchises after his incredible performance in last year&rsquo;s edition. The England all-rounder was suspended by the&nbsp;England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following his involvement in a brawl outside a nightclub in September. However, <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/articles/ben-stokes-available-for-england-despite-charge-ecb/18947178" target="_blank">Stokes will now be considered for England selection despite being charged with affray</a>,&nbsp;the ECB announced last week. Stokes will return to international cricket next month and be part of the IPL auction.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/jan/ben-stokes-stats.jpg" alt="Ben Stokes" /> Ben Stokes in action during the 2017 IP season. Pic: AFP
The IPL has also assured the franchises a replacement if needed, in case Ben Stokes fails to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the legal proceeding of charges of affray against him
In the 2017 auction, Rising Pune Supergiant thwarted aggressive bids by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians to eventually bag Ben Stokes at Rs 14.50 crore. The England all-rounder justified his high price tag by amassing 316 runs at an impressive strike rate of 142.98 from the 12 matches he played. He also picked 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.18, earning him the Player-of-the-Tournament award.
England Test skipper Joe Root, who stayed away from the Indian Premier&nbsp;League in the earlier editions, will be the newest entrant for the 2018 auctions.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/jan/joe-root.jpg" alt="Joe Root" />
Other international names likely to attract huge interest are Australian speedster Mitchell Starc, West Indian opener Chris Gayle, Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, Aussie T20 specialist Chris Lynn and West Indies all-rounders Dwane Bravo and Kieron Pollard to name a few.
Indian stars Among the capped Indian players, batsman Ajinkya Rahane, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav, wicketkeeper-batsman Robin U Uthappa, openers Lokesh Rahul, Shikar Dhawan and Murali Vijay and the 2011 World Cup-winning trio Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, are some notable Indian players likely to attract huge bids from the eight franchises.
Domestic cricketers, including seasoned players and new faces, will aim to put up an impressive show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali&nbsp; T20 tournament to impress the Indian Premier League team scouts ahead of the auctions
The slabs for capped Indian and foreign players are Rs 2 crore, Rs 1.5 crore, Rs 1 crore, Rs 75 lakh and Rs 50 lakh respectively while uncapped players are base-priced at Rs 40, 30 and 20 lakh respectively. A total of 13 Indians and 23 foreign players have been included in the top base price of Rs 2 crore.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/jan/base-price-list.gif" alt="IPL pre-auction top base price" />
Retention rules All franchises are eligible to retain a maximum of 5 players by virtue of a combination of Player Retention (Pre-Player Auction) and Right to Match (RTM), which is during the player auction.
A maximum of three capped Indian players, two uncapped Indian players, and a maximum of two overseas players can be retained
What is the Right to Match card? If a franchise wants to retain a player who has been bagged by another franchise through successful bidding, then the previous franchise can use the Right to Match card to retain him by matching the bidding amount. For example: If former Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) player Gautam Gambhir is acquired for a certain amount by a rival franchise, then KKR can still get him back using the RTM card by matching the successful bid
Salary cap The salary cap of each IPL team is set at Rs 80 crore. Here's how it works:
<ul>
<li>If a team decides to retain three players, they will have to pay a total sum of Rs 33 crore, which will be deducted from the Rs 80 crore cap. The deduction break will be Rs 15 crore for player one, Rs 11 crore for player two and Rs 7 crore for the third player</li>
<li>A team will have to pay Rs 21 crore if only two players are retained, Rs 12.5 crore for player one and Rs 8.5 crore for the second player</li>
<li>If a team decide to retain only one player, they&nbsp;will have to pay Rs 12.5 crore as the retention fee</li>
<li>In case, a team decides to retain an uncapped player, then a sum of Rs 3 crore will be deducted from their purse</li>
<li>All the eight teams must have at least 18 players in their squad and can have a maximum squad of 25 players, with 8 overseas players.</li>
<li>The base price of uncapped players this season in the lowest category has been hiked to Rs 20 lakh, followed by the Rs 30 lakh and Rs 40 lakh base price</li>
</ul>
<div>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/jan/ipl-retention-2018.gif" alt="IPL retention list" /> List of players retained by the eight franchises using the pre-auction Player Retention option
The 11th Edition of the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/articles/ipl-11-to-kick-off-on-7-april-2018-in-mumbai/18967178" target="_blank">Indian Premier League will be held from April 7 To May 27</a>, the IPL Governing Council has announced. Mumbai will host the opening match and the final of the tournament.
</div>
The IPL governing council also decided to shift the start of the matches, which were scheduled to begin at 8 pm and 4 pm earlier. "Live broadcast of 8 pm game will be shifted to 7 pm, while 4 pm will be played at 5:30 pm," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said
<a title="Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates" href="http://www.mid-day.com/sports" target="_blank">Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here</a>
Download the new mid-day <a title="mid-day android app " href="https://goo.gl/8Xlcvr" target="_blank">Android</a> and <a title="mid-day iOS app" href="https://goo.gl/KQziH4" target="_blank">iOS</a> apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go

Rohit Sharma feels blessed post his African safari with wife Ritika Sajdeh

The 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction to be held on January 27 and 28 in Bengaluru, promises to be a mega affair with 578 players going under the hammer

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018: Ultimate guide to player auction

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Home / Sports / Cricket / Article / Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018: Ultimate guide to player auction

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018: Ultimate guide to player auction

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast