With the talks revolving around the IPL 2025 mega auction dates and venue, the event is expected to take place on November 24 and 25 in Saudi Arabia.
Despite no official confirmation from BCCI, it is evident that the Board is currently exploring the options for the venues and is expected to announce the schedule in a few days.
The IPL governing council announced the Player retention rules in September giving the necessary time for all the franchises to sort out the retained players list.
The proposed dates coincide with India’s first test match in Australia, which is scheduled to be played in Perth from November 22-26.
Respective of the time difference with Australia, there is unlikely to be any clash between the match and auction proceedings, as the auction might begin in the afternoon in Indian Standard Time (IST).
It is understood that BCCI officials have visited Saudi Arabia with another batch expected to depart for the Gulf on Monday. The BCCI have thinned the potential venues to Riyadh and Jeddah with Riyadh, the capital being the most likely host city for the event.
BCCI has explored a few other options like Dubai, Singapore and London. BCCI has even considered Vienna, but Saudi Arabia is believed to have been considered and also identified a place that can be the venue for the two-day mega auction.
With the IPL 2025 mega auction expected to be held on November 24 and 25, BCCI had some apprehension about the dates as the IND vs AUS 1st Test will clash with the IPL mega auction.
Meanwhile, the franchises must submit the retained players list before the deadline set for 5:00 PM IST on October 31.
All the franchises wanted the two-day auction to be held in India, but it was not an option. Now the BCCI is on the verge of finalizing the venue and date for the IPL mega auction so that they can make travel arrangements.
