The IPL 2021 has started their preparations in the New Year on a fast pace. After reports emerged that the IPL 2021 auction will take place on February 11, the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel told PTI that the deadline for the retention of players in IPL 2021 is till January 21. If players want to be traded to another franchise, the deadline for this is till February 4. The IPL 2021 auction will not be the mega-auction and that could be a possibility in the 2022 Indian Premier League where 10 teams could feature. There is also a development that the IPL Governing Council will wait a month before finalising whether IPL 2021 could take place in India. A BCCI source said that most of the stakeholders want the tournament to be played in India but it will all depend on the coronavirus situation.
In the past, before the IPL auction, the BCCI would increase the price pool for each team by Rs 3 crore. However, in IPL 2021, there will be no increase in the purse price. However, this development might change the dynamics of many teams as they look to head into IPL 2021 with some changes.
Chennai Super Kings could make changes
If reports are to be believed, then IPL 2021 could see Chennai Super Kings make some big changes. Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla might be traded or not retained while there is a big question mark on Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina. Shane Watson has retired and that has left some holes to be plugged. Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla both struggled in IPL 2020 while Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina withdrew from the tournament over coronavirus fears.
In addition, Chennai Super Kings has the least purse heading into IPL 2021 with just Rs 15 lakhs. This could force them to do something dramatic in the form of a mini-overhaul. Rajasthan Royals have the maximum purse with Rs 14.75 crore, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad with Rs 10.1 crore, Delhi Capitals Rs 9 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders Rs 8.5 crore and Royal Challengers Bangalore with Rs 6.4 crore. Mumbai Indians, the five-time IPL champions, have a settled core and base and with a purse of Rs 1.95 crore, they may not want to make many changes at all.
