IPL Mega Auction 2022: All you need to know about the process, prices, rules and more

The day has finally arrived when the franchises will finally be executing their plan to sign the best available players in the IPL 2022 auction pool. The two-day IPL 2022 Mega Auction is set to begin in Bengaluru starting today and franchises will not hold themselves back from spending millions of money to buy the best  player. Let's take a look at some of the things to be known about the bidding war.

IPL Mega Auction 2022: Who are the retained/acquired players? Which team has what amount in their purse ahead of the auction?

Overall, a total of 27 players were retained by the eight existing franchises, whereas the two new teams - Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have signed three players each ahead of the IPL Mega Auction 2022. Let's take a look at how the squads have begun to shape up ahead of the IPL auction 2022.

How many players will be available at the auction?

A total of *600 players (377 Indian and 223 overseas) will be up for grabs. This shortlist was pruned from the original list of 1214 players based on the wish-list of the ten franchises, and 10 more names were then added on auction eve.

What is the minimum/maximum number of players each team can have in their squad?

The IPL teams should have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players in their respective squad. The amount that IPL teams can spend is a minimum of INR 67.5 crore from their total purse of INR 90 crore. Each squad can have a maximum of eight overseas players in the squad.

What is the auction process? What is the distribution of capped and uncapped players?

The players have been divided into different sets based on their specialty, keeping aside a group of ten marquee players who will open the auction. The marquee set will be followed by a full round of capped players based on specialisation i.e batsmen, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batsmen, fast bowlers, and spin bowlers. After the set of capped players are finished the attention will then turn towards the uncapped players who will then go under the hammer. There are a total of *229 capped players, 364 uncapped, and seven players from the Associate teams.

What happens if a player who was uncapped at the time of registering himself for the auction has made his international debut since?

If an uncapped player who made his debut at the time of registering, then his base price will automatically increase and also his set will be upgraded. The best example is Deepak Hooda, who recently made his India debut. Deepak Hooda has been moved up the IPL auction 2022 ladder and is now being moved to set no. 3 comprising of capped all-rounders.

Before the IPL 2022 auction, the all-rounder was listed in set no. 8, where his base price was INR 40 lakh, however, earning an India cap saw his revised base price going up to INR 75 lakh.

What is the lowest and highest base price?

The lowest base price of any player during the IPL 2022 mega auction is INR 20 lakh while the highest base price during the IPL 2022 mega auction is INR 2 crore. The 10 marquee players have all been marked at INR 2 crore. Overall, there are 48 players (17 Indian and 31 overseas) with a base price of INR 2 crore, and then the base price reduces to INR 1.5 crore, INR 1 crore, INR 75 lakh, INR 50 lakh, INR 40 lakh, INR 30 lakh and INR 20 lakh.

Youngest and oldest players in the auction

The youngest player in this IPL 2022 mega auction is Afghanistan's 17-year-old Noor Ahmad. The youngster is a left-arm wrist-spinner already has T20 experience, having played in the leagues like BBL and PSL. However, he is yet to make his international debut.

The oldest player in the IPL 2022 mega auction is South Africa's Imran Tahir at 43 years of age. The veteran was a part of the  Chennai Super Kings title-winning squad in the 2021 edition. He is currently representing Multan Sultans in the PSL and recently featured in Legends League Cricket.