NEW DELHI: After the last two Indian Premier League auctions were held overseas - in Dubai (2023) and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2024) - the grand event is set to return to India after a two-year gap, with the auction likely to take place on December 15, TimesofIndia reported.
The deadline for franchises to submit their finalised lists of retained and released players will be November 15.
After last year's mega auction, the upcoming December event will be a mini-auction. Unlike the large-scale squad overhauls that follow a mega auction, this edition offers franchises greater flexibility - with no restrictions on the number of players they can retain.
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Meanwhile, the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction is scheduled for November 27 in Delhi, marking the first mega auction since the league's inaugural edition.
On the IPL front, the trading window has remained unusually quiet, with no major player movements confirmed yet - including the much-speculated transfer of Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals, which has yet to materialise.
In a surprise move, India all-rounder Deepti Sharma and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt were released by UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants, respectively. Both players had been standout performers in the recent ODI World Cup.
Among the other retentions, Indian stars Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals), and Richa Ghosh (RCB) have all been secured by their respective franchises ahead of the upcoming season.
As per WPL retention rules, each franchise can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. In cases where a team retains five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian.
For the first time, the WPL will also allow franchises to exercise a right-to-match (RTM) option at the auction to buy back a player who was part of their 2025 squad.
