IPL 2023 auction set to take place on December 16 in Bengaluru - Reports 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction will reportedly be held in Bengaluru on December 16. The 16th edition of the tournament is slated to have a dedicated two-and-a-half-month window, according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP), and will also see the return of the home-and-away format following the diminished impact of COVID-19.

According to a report by the Times Of India, the auction for the upcoming season will be a mini-auction, with players released from franchises as well as potential new entries constituting the pool. The ten franchises are touted to have a salary purse of ₹95 crore, a ₹5 crore increase from the mega auction held earlier this year.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly mentioned the tournament's restoration to its previous format in a letter to the state associations ahead of the home season. He mentioned:

"The next season of men’s IPL will also go back to the home-and-away format with all the 10 teams playing their home matches at their designated venues."

Apart from auctions, franchises can alter their squads through the sparingly used trade window. Gujarat Titans (GT) are the current title holders after a dominant showing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

The upcoming edition will also see the return of designated home venues for each of the franchises. The concept was last implemented in IPL 2019, before COVID took over. Matches over the course of the last three editions have taken place in the UAE as well as selected venues in India in a caravan-itinerary fashion.

IPL 2023 likely to commence from the last week of March next year

India will be involved in a busy home season in early 2023, where they will host Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia. Upon the culmination of those assignments, the cash-rich league is poised to take the stage with no major international matches on the horizon.

With players free from their national duties during that time span, it would encourage more players to sign up for the auction. The absence of international matches would also lead to an increased availability of players.

Will the upcoming mini-auction have a huge impact on the squads that are already in place? Let us know what you think.