IPL Auction 2016: Start Time, Players List and Remaining Budgets

The 2016 Indian Premier League sees the introduction of two new teams, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions, following the two-year suspensions of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

The new franchises helped themselves to some key players in December's draft, and they will hope to add some more significant firepower at Saturday's IPL auction, which kicks off in Bangalore at 9:30 a.m. local time (4 a.m. GMT).

All eight franchises still have money to spend, with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen and Yuvraj Singh still up for grabs.

Here is an outline of the remaining funds left to be spent by each outfit, per IPLT20.com:

Team	Auction Budget (Rs/£)
Delhi Daredevils	371.5 million/3.8 millon
Kings XI Punjab	230 million/2.3 million
Kolkata Knight Riders	179.5 million/1.8 million
Mumbai Indians	144.05 million/1.5 million
Rising Pune Supergiants	270 million/2.7 million
Royal Challengers Bangalore	216.25 million/2.2 million
Sunrisers Hyderabad	301.5 million/3.1 million
Gujarat Lions	270 million/2.7 million

Per ESPN Cricinfo, a total of 351 players (230 Indian, 121 from overseas) will be available for purchase at the auction, with a maximum of 116 allowed to be chosen.

The full list of players can be found here.

Along with Pietersen, Yuvraj et al, four others make up the list of so-called marquee players, per IPLT20.com:

Player	Role	Base Price (Rs)
Ishant Sharma	Bowler	20 million
Shane Watson	All-Rounder	20 million
Kevin Pietersen	Batsman	20 million
Yuvraj Singh	All-Rounder	20 million
Dale Steyn	Bowler	15 million
Aaron Finch	Batsman	10 million
Martin Guptill	Batsman	5 million
Dwayne Smith	All-Rounder	5 million

Dale Steyn is available having been surprisingly released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he will undoubtedly be much sought-after given his immense ability as a front-line bowler.

Watson, formerly Rajasthan captain, will also be a very attractive purchase, especially after he hit the second-highest T20 international score with a 71-ball 124 against India last week, per commentator Harsha Bhogle:

Pietersen was also in flying form in the recent Big Bash League, scoring 323 runs—the third most in the tournament—for the Melbourne Stars.

The break-up of CSK and the Royals—and subsequent introduction of two new outfits—means the auction for IPL 9 should be even more exciting and extravagant than usual.

Besides the marquee players, stars like George Bailey, Mahela Jayawardene, Marlon Samuels, Mohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra and James Pattinson are all up for grabs.

It is almost impossible to predict who will triumph in this season's tournament but, following the auction, things will start to become a little clearer.

Mumbai Indians are the defending champions following their final victory over Chennai last year, and they will surely be in the mix again.

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders are fairly consistent performers in the tournament, but it is impossible to know how they will fare against the new franchises.

As ever, there is sure to be plenty of huge hitting and nail-biting drama, and Saturday's auction will play a big role in deciding where the most explosive players end up.

The IPL 2016 action kicks off on April 9, and the excitement following the auction will mount as the squads are completed.