IPL Auction 2016: Date, Format, Rules and Team Budgets
The titanic powers of the Indian Premier League will assemble in Bangalore on Saturday, February 6, for the 2016 IPL player auction, with some of the biggest and best cricket stars available to the highest bidders.
The eight competing teams will duke it out to secure the best talent available, with a total of 351 players registered to take part in the auction, but a maximum of 116 can be selected for the 2016 campaign.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals won't participate in the auction because of their two-year suspensions, replaced instead by newcomers Rising Pune Super Giants and Rajkot.
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They'll join Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru, hoping to make their mark on the T20 competition this year.
Of the 130 capped players poised to take part in the auction, Australians are the most prevalent, with 29 internationals included, and India are a close second with 26 capped stars registered.
As outlined by ESPN Cricinfo, Delhi Daredevils have the most funds remaining of any team after releasing 13 players at the end of the 2015 season, with a budget of INR 37.15 crore (approximately $5.47 million). Here, we provide a look at each team's budget heading into Saturday's showpiece:
| Delhi Daredevils | $5.47 million |
| Kings XI Punjab | $3.39 million |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | $2.64 million |
| Mumbai Indians | $2.12 million |
| Rising Pune Super Giants | $3.98 million |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | $3.18 million |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | $4.44 million |
| Rajkot | $3.98 million |
In addition to there being 219 uncapped players available in the auction—204 of whom hail from India—two players from ICC associate nations, Ireland and Canada, will also be entered.
Format and Marquee Players
Players entering the auction are given a base price, which represents the minimum figure for which they can be recruited, with marquee players and star names boasting higher base prices.
Every team can retain a maximum of five players from the last campaign, and as reported by MyIndiaLive.com in December, Pune and Rajkot were permitted to draft players from suspended outfits Chennai and Rajasthan.
Twelve players have been awarded the top base price of INR 2 crore (approximately $296,000); they are Ishant Sharma, Shane Watson, Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik, Stuart Binny, Michael Hussey, Kane Richardson and Mitchell Marsh.
Jesse Hogan of The Age highlighted trio Hussey (batsman), Richardson (bowler) and Marsh (all-rounder) as the three most expensive Australian representatives in contention:
Delhi will be hoping to right the wrongs of years gone by in Bangalore, having released Angelo Mathews and Singh in the off-season, a duo that cost them a sum total of INR 23.5 crore (approximately $3.4 million) last year.
England have just seven players present in the auction, but Jos Buttler is one of those looking to make a dent. The wicketkeeper told England Cricket what an "exciting" prospect the IPL is:
The ninth season of the Indian Premier League kicks off on April 8, but already anticipation is building to what could be the most exciting campaign yet.
Teams will be expected to open their cheque books if they're to land the best available talent, but attention will also be fixed on which sides can grab the greatest bargains.
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