The D-day has arrived and fans of the Indian Premier League (IPL) are looking forward to seeing which player will be joining their favourite squad for the 2021 edition.
After releasing 57 players last month, the eight franchises will be involved in some bidding wars again as 292 players go under the hammer on February 18 in Chennai.
A maximum of 61 players can be purchased from the total number of shortlisted players. 164 Indian and 125 overseas players are on the list, with three players from Associate nations. IPL Auction 2021 Live
There will be a lot of big and important people at the auctions, ranging from team owners - industrialists, film stars and politicians - to strategists, ex-players, coaches and even analysts.
However, amongst them, all will this one person who will be the master of the show. It will be his responsibility of carrying out the auctions and calling out the several hundred names and concluding who gets whom - the auctioneer.
So who is the auctioneer for the IPL 2021 Auctions?
International auctioneer Hugh Edmeades will be the man running the show in Chennai. Having conducted more than 2500 auctions in his 35-year career, the British international has sold in excess of 3 lakh lots for a sum in excess of 2.7 billion pounds.
In 2018, Edmeades was appointed by the BCCI as the auctioneer for the 2019 IPL. He became only the second person after Richard Madley to have the privilege of conducting the prestigious IPL Auction.
Edmeades has experience in dealing with items including paintings, fine furniture, ceramics & works of art, and film & sporting memorabilia.
