IPL 2019 | Jaipur to host IPL auction on December 17,18
While BCCI is yet to decide on the dates and venues of the Indian Premier League matches, it has been reported that the auction will happen on December 17 and 18 in Jaipur. While franchises wanted the auction to be held after the venue is known, others seem quite okay with the decision.
The 12th edition of the IPL is set to begin on March 29 and would end in the third week of May so as to give a gap between the IPL and the World Cup. While the tournament has been preponed by a week, the auction has also been moved back to December and as per a TOI report, it might happen on December 17 and 18 in Jaipur. BCCI have informed the decision and the dates to all the franchises, who have already started their preparations through various camps all around the country.
However, the decision got mixed reviews from the franchises with many stating BCCI should have the auction only after the venue of the tournament be known. But the lack of clarity from the central government regarding the dates for the general election makes things a bit unclear and the BCCI is waiting for the dates to chalk out their plans.
"We wanted the auction to be conducted after the venue is known so that we could have chosen our players accordingly but the BCCI has its own timelines to follow," a franchise official told ToI.
On the other hand, another official has said, "We understand that the venue would be known by then."
This is not the first time that the IPL is moving out of the country as it was played in South Africa in 2009 and in UAE, in the next general election in 2014. Now both the countries are in line to host this edition of the tournament if the election clashes with the IPL.