The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is leaving no stone unturned to organise the mega auction ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season smoothly. A total of 590 cricketers will go under the hammer on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru as the 10 franchises – including newly-added Lucknow Super Giants and Team Ahmedabad – will look to build their squads.


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The auction will take place in a bio-secure bubble amid challenging COVID-19 pandemic in India. The BCCI have laid down some mandatory rules that all 10 teams need to follow at IPL 2022 auction table.


* The IPL 2022 auction will take place in a bio-bubble.


* The officials representing the franchises will have to clear COVID-19 tests with negative RT-PCR report on February 9, 10 and 11. The testing will be conducted by BCCI-accredited medical agency.


* No Right to Match (RTM) option will be available for the team in this auction.


* Only 3 players have been allowed to be retained by the original eight IPL teams while the two new teams have been allowed 3 draft picks ahead of the auction. It means all the teams will start with a clean slate at the auction.


* The IPL 2022 purse has been raised to Rs 90 crore from Rs 80 crore to accommodate more players, especially from the domestic circuit.


* Participants who have returned to India after overseas trips in the last 15 days will have to undergo 7-day mandatory quarantine and test negative on Day 8 and 9 (twice).


* BCCI will keep a close watch on those arriving at the team hotel on February 11. They will be monitored for COVID-19 symptoms.


* The testing will be conducted between 12 am to 7 am to ensure smooth conduct of the IPL 2022 auction on February 12 and 13. The members will stay in their rooms until declared negative for the virus.


* All the attendees will have to share full details including COVID vaccination results (if any) with the BCCI medical team.


* All the participants will have to wear masks in the auditorium at the auction table.


Meanwhile, the BCCI is expecting a windfall from the media rights deal ahead of the IPL Season 15. Several networks, such as Sony Sports Network, global giants Disney Star Network, Reliance-Viacom 18 and Amazon among others, are in the fray to grab the IPL Media Rights.


The Indian cricket board will sell the television and digital telecast rights of the IPL for four years – between 2023 and 2027 – through an e-auction likely in the last week of March. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) could be floated before February 10. The e-auction will then be conducted within 45 days of floating the ITT.


(with IANS inputs)