IPL Auction 2018: Date, Format, Rules and Team Budgets

The Indian Premier League 2018 auction kicks off on Saturday and promises to be an intriguing event with 578 players up for grabs, including high-profile stars such as Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Gayle and Gautam Gambhir.

No team has retained more than three players for the 2018 season, and with an increased salary cap of 20 per cent, we should be in for one of the biggest auctions of recent times. A list of the players each team has retained is available here.

All eight franchises will have the chance to add to their squads and build their teams for the tournament ahead. There are 62 capped and 298 uncapped Indian cricketers in the mix, along with 182 capped and 34 uncapped overseas players plus two cricketers from associate nations.

The official 2018 player auction list is available on the tournament's official website, while details of the auction itself can be found below.

Date: Saturday, Jan. 27

Time: 9 a.m. local/3:30 a.m. GMT

Location: Bengaluru, India

2018 Indian Premier League Teams and Budgets (per IPLT20.com)

Chennai Super Kings: 47 crore rupees (£5.2 million/$7.36 million)

Delhi Daredevils: 47 crore rupees (£5.2 million/$7.36 million)

Kolkata Knight Riders: 59 crore rupees (£6.5 million/$9.2 million)

Kings XI Punjab:  67.5 crore rupees (£7.4 million/$10.57 million)

Mumbai Indians: 47 crore rupees (£5.2 million/$7.36 million)

Rajasthan Royals: 67.5 crore rupees (£7.4 million/$10.57 million)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 49 crore rupees (£5.4 million/$7.67 million)

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 59 crore rupees (£6.5 million/$9.2 million)

The 11th edition of the IPL gets under way in April, but Saturday is an important date before the start of the campaign as teams look to snap up key players.

Star Sports showed the marquee players who will be in demand at the weekend:

England and Australia play their fourth and fifth one-day internationals on Friday and Sunday, but the tourists will have plenty of interest in the auction.

Root, Stokes, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Sam Billings are just a few of the English cricketers in the draw, and the players deserve the lucrative contracts the IPL offers, according to former England captain Michael Vaughan:

For Root, it will be the first time he has entered the auction, but the batsman has said he will always put playing for his country first, per Nick Hoult at the Telegraph.

Compatriot Stokes will also be up for grabs, particularly after starring for the Rising Pune Supergiant last season, but his involvement is complicated by the fact he has been charged with affray, per the Guardian's Sean Ingle.

Stokes will have to attend the trial at Bristol Magistrates' Court in February, and there is uncertainty over how may games he will be available to play. The 26-year-old has been called up for England's tour of New Zealand but has said he will not play for his country until after his first court appearance:

However, Hemant Dua, the chief executive officer of the Delhi Daredevils, still expects Stokes to be a top draw.

Per Rob Johnston at Cricbuzz, he said:

"I'm sure he is in the mix of everyone's plans because he is a prize player. It depends on how many days he has to go [back to the UK for court appearances]. It does break the momentum for the team. Mostly, these cases take at least four or five months, so I think there will be enough time for him to get through this. That's my sense."

Stokes is still expected to fetch a big price in the auction, but he will not be the only one with so many potential match-winners up for grabs.

The IPL always supplies thrills and spills, but Saturday's auction promises intrigue and excitement and should be the perfect introduction to another successful tournament.