The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed Goa as the venue for the IPL 2027 auction, with the event set to be held in mid-December.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told Cricbuzz on Wednesday that the auction is likely to take place between December 14 and 16. The exact date has been finalised but has not yet been officially announced.
The auction is expected to be a relatively small one and will be conducted as a one-day event.
Cricbuzz had earlier reported that the IPL auction would return to India after being held overseas for the last three years. The auction was held in Dubai, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi during that period.
The BCCI’s decision to bring the auction back to India follows requests from a majority of the IPL franchises. The IPL Governing Council recently decided to hold this year’s auction in India. However, with the mega auction scheduled for next year, the event could move overseas again.
The BCCI had been looking for a venue with a five-star hotel capable of accommodating more than 100 people, considering the large delegations expected from the 10 IPL franchises. Goa has now emerged as the chosen venue after meeting those requirements.
Goa previously hosted the IPL auction for the 2009 season, which produced several memorable moments.
England stars Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff attracted record bids of USD 1.55 million each. Pietersen was bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Flintoff joined Chennai Super Kings. They were the most expensive buys in IPL history at the time.
The 2009 auction also witnessed a major bidding battle for Bangladesh all-rounder Mashrafe Mortaza between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. Mortaza eventually went to Knight Riders for USD 600,000, after starting with a base price of USD 50,000. KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was present at the auction table during the bidding.
Meanwhile, as reported earlier, the WPL auction is scheduled to be held in Kochi on October 28.
