The Cricketer provides all the information as the eight sides look to complete their squads ahead of the 14th edition of the competition...
This year's IPL auction takes place in Chennai on Thursday, February 18, immediately after the second Test between India and England in the same city.
Each of the eight IPL franchises are permitted to have no more than 25 players in their squad, but at least 18, with the auction providing the opportunity to fill their roster as they wish. They are limited to eight overseas players in total.
Following the conclusion of the delayed 2020 edition in the United Arab Emirates, teams have revealed their retained and released lists for the 14th campaign. In all, there are 61 berths available across the eight teams.
During the auction process, teams will be asked to match the reserve price of each player before a bidding process takes hold. The individual will then join the side with the highest unchallenged offer.
Though this year's auction is expected to be a scaled-down version from previous editions, due to the short turnaround, there are still plenty of gaps to fill.
Unlike previous years, franchises do not have any additional cash to complete their squads, Instead, they must use the money freed up by their departures to complete the lines-ups.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have 13 total slots to fill after allowing the likes of Chris Morris and Aaron Finch to depart in the off-season.
But the team to keep an eye on will be Kings XI Punjab, who have both the biggest budget available and the most overseas spaces.
They allowed Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell and Hardus Viljoen, among others, to leave before the deadline to confirm their squad and will be extremely busy come February 18.
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Overseas slots: 1
Total slots: 7
Budget: 22.9 crore (£2,507,229)
Overseas slots: 2
Total slots: 6
Budget: 12.9018 crore (£1,413,113)
Overseas slots: 5
Total slots: 9
Budget: 53.2 crore (£5,825,493)
Overseas slots: 2
Total slots: 8
Budget: 10.75 crore (£1,177,716)
Pat Cummins was the most expensive player in the auction for the 2020 competition
Overseas slots: 4
Total slots: 7
Budget: 15.35 crore (£1,680,000)
Overseas slots: 3
Total slots: 8
Budget: 34.85 crore (£3,815,597)
Overseas slots: 4
Total slots: 13
Budget: 35.7 crore (£3,910,584)
Overseas slots: 1
Total slots: 3
Budget: 10.75 crore (£1,177,524)
The full list of players who have submitted themselves for the IPL auction has yet to be confirmed.
Due to the timescale between the end of the last tournament and the auction, as well as the travel complications caused by Covid-19, it is likely to be a reduced long-list that is under consideration.
In previous years, several hundred players submit themselves for the auction before they are whittled down and placed into price categories. But this year will see a streamlined process.
Fifty-seven players were released in the off-season and many of them will be expected to return. Shane Watson, who has retired from professional cricket, Lasith Malinga who has ended his franchise career and Dale Steyn, who has ruled himself out of the IPL are among those who will miss out.
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Star Sports will broadcast the auction in full for fans in India. Times and specific details will be confirmed in due course.
UK broadcast details have not yet been announced.
The Cricketer will provide live coverage of the auction via its website and social media channels.
The 14th IPL is expected to return to its regular slot in April and May followed last year's delayed competition was moved to September, October and November.
The BCCI remain hopeful the tournament will return to India after being played in the UAE last year. However, the start date and fixtures are yet to be confirmed.
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