The Indian Premier League auction for the 12th edition, scheduled to be held in Jaipur in December, will get a prime-time television slot, according to a report in the Mumbai Mirror.
The auction usually starts in the morning and ends around 5 pm IST but that’s all set to change this year with a 3 pm start, for what is going to be a one-day affair on December 18, 2018.
A communication has been sent to the IPL franchises that the auction will start in the afternoon and end by 9.30 pm, with Star Sports officials keen on attracting higher television viewership, according to the report.
While television ratings is one reason for the decision, it was also taken with the India-Australia series in mind. The second Test of the four-match series is scheduled to start at 7.50 am IST on December 14 and the fifth day will end around 3 pm IST, should the match go all the way.
“It does not make sense to have the auction running parallel to the Test match which has potential to go down the wire and produce a thrilling finish,” the report quoted an unnamed official as saying.
Interestingly, the 2018 season’s auction was held on January 27 and 28, which coincided with the third South Africa-India Test, with the match ending on day four, which was the first day of the auction.
The report also added that there is a bit of discontent among the IPL franchises over the date of the auction, with lack of clarity over the venue of the tournament. There are reports that South Africa and Dubai are being considered as alternate venues to host the tournament, given the general elections are scheduled in India in April and May.
The franchises have also been informed that the final list of players that will be available for the next season will be circulated to them in the first week of December.
Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board have both reportedly informed their Indian counterpart that their players won’t be able to play in the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League beyond May 1.
The decision, if true, is understandable considering the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 begins on May 30. The IPL has also been advanced to begin on March 29 and will end on May 19. This means the Australian and English cricketers would miss the last 18 days of the tournament. New Zealand players, however, are all set to be available for the duration of the tournament.