Reports | IPL 2021 auction likely to take place on February 11

The auction for the 2021 IPL, which is set to be a eight team tournament, will reportedly be staged on February 11, which falls in the break between the schedule of the first and second Test between India and England. The first Test will be played in Chennai from February 5 while the second Test begins in the same city from February 13 onward. 

The venue of the auction hasn't been finalized yet by the IPL Governing Council, but the franchises will need to submit the list of retained and released players by January 20. There were earlier reports of the IPL being held in India but it is believed that the IPL Governing Council hasn't jotted down India as the final venue yet, with UAE as one of the back-up options. 

It is also being explored whether to have the games on home and away basis or just at few venues in order to restrict travel for the franchises in times when the COVID situation in India remains uncertain. The auction purse is likely to be increased by INR 3 crore.