BCCI confirms Goa as venue for IPL 2027 auction
The auction is likely to be held between December 14-16
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed Goa as the venue for this year’s IPL auction. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told Cricbuzz on Wednesday (September 23) that the auction will be held in mid-December. Cricbuzz was first to report that this year’s auction will be in India.
The date of the auction has also been finalised, although it has not yet been revealed. Saikia, however, said it could be held between December 14-16. As it is expected to be a small auction, it will be a one-day affair.
Over the last three years, the auction was held in Dubai, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. The BCCI has bucked that trend, with the Governing Council recently deciding to hold it in India in response to requests from a majority of the IPL franchises. Next year, when the mega auction is due, the auction may go overseas again.
The BCCI’s first priority was finding a venue which was a five-star hotel that could accommodate over 100 guests, representing the large delegations of the 10 IPL franchises. Presumably, they have found a suitable hotel in Goa.
Goa had hosted the auction for the second season in 2009. That auction is famous for the record bids that two England stars — Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff — attracted. They were bought for USD 1.55 million each, the most expensive buys at the time, by Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings respectively.
However, it was perhaps more famous for the bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings for Mashrafe Mortaza, who was eventually bought by Knight Riders with Shah Rukh Khan at the auction table, for USD 600,000, from a base price of USD 50,000.
As reported previously, the WPL auction will be held in Kochi on October 28.
