The IPL 2023 mini-auction was successful, with players like Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stikes being the most expensive buys. However, the 10 franchises are not very happy with the mini-auction and suggested the BCCI conduct a player draft instead. They want the mega-auction to be continued every three years. Earlier, the teams expressed their disappointment in letting their players go away, whom they had groomed.
The main reason for desiring to cancel the mini-auction is due to the price they have to pay to get some of the best talents. For example, Harry Brook was bought for Rs. 13.25 Crore by Sunrisers Hyderabad but Rajasthan Royals could have gone broke for buying him and neither was the franchise informed about it.
In order to stop spending a major amount to bag foreign players, the franchises want BCCI to conduct the draft procedure. Conventionally, the mega auction in the IPL is held every three years. A team can retain only 4 players which means, their squad gets a complete makeover. By introducing the player draft, there will be proper slab prices for players that restrict them from spending a huge amount of money on a cricketer.
The player agents sometimes play tricks to get the players a very huge price in mini-auction that wouldn’t have been a way in mega-auction. In this case, the franchises face a huge loss.
The BCCI hasn’t taken a decision on this and they get a year’s time to think about this. IPL 2023 will be sorted, and the year 2025 will gain see a mega-auction. 2024 will the year that will reveal the final decision that the board has taken.
In IPL 2023 mini-auction, out of 991 players, 405 went through the hammer. English player Sam Curran was the most expensive buy in the history of the auction with an amount of Rs. 18.50 crore. His performance in the T20 World Cup 2022, impressed all the franchises but it was Punjab Kings that acquired his services.
