With the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) almost done and dusted, some teams have already started preparing for the future. The likes of Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab will hope to strengthen their squad ahead of the next season. In the wake of it, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has revealed whether there will be a mega auction or a small with only a few months left.
The Super Kings are planning to rebuild their squad and rebuild their core group ahead of the next season. Shane Watson has already announced his retirement from all forms of cricket and will not play IPL next year. The likes of Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Karn Sharma, and Murali Vijay could be among the players who are released by CSK next year.
Not decided yet – Sourav Ganguly on whether the mega auction will take place
On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab will look to chop and change a bit to strengthen their squad. However, all these will depend heavily on whether BCCI will allow a full mega auction or a mini-auction next year. Earlier this year, there were reports that the mega auction which was scheduled to take place ahead of IPL 2021 is likely to be scrapped due to COVID-19.
However, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly recently revealed that the board has not yet taken a final call on the auction.
“We haven’t decided anything yet. Let this season conclude, we will take a call,” BCCI president Ganguly was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times on being asked about player auction next year.
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Furthermore, Sourav Ganguly insisted that they are keen to host the next season fo IPL in India if the COVID-19 situation in India is under control. However, UAE still remain BCCI’s back-up option for IPL 2021 if the tournament cannot be conducted in India. The next season is likely to begin in April or May next year.
“Hopefully the vaccine will be out by that time and we can host it,” said Ganguly on hosting IPL 2021 in India.