IPL teams get Dec 4 closing date to retain players

The Indian cricket board has set a December 4 time limit for six Indian Premier League teams to forward the list of the players they wish to retain for the upcoming season. Six teams, who were part of last three seasons, will be allowed to retain three Indian players and one foreigner.Each player will have a different price cap, which will be deducted from the overall auction kitty of $9 million at the disposal of each team. The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India will also be forwarding letters to all the major cricket playing nations asking them to give a list of players who will come under the hammer.

The auction will be held in Mumbai on January 8 and 9. BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, a IPL Governing Council member, confirmed that eight teams would take part in the next edition.“Today we had meeting about preparations for IPL 4,” Shukla said, adding that the future of the Kochi franchise didn’t come up for talk on Wednesday. The BCCI has set a November 27 deadline for the warring investors of the Kochi team to get their house in order. IPL officials are worried that the auction for franchise rights of either Mohali/ Ahmedabad, if Kochi fail to make the cut, will not fetch them a ‘very high amount’.

The fourth season of the IPL will begin on April 8, six days after the World Cup final, and will run till May 22. Play-offs introduced in all 60 matches will be held but play-offs will choose the finalists. The play-offs will be played based on league standings with the top two teams (play-off 1) playing each other and No.3 and No.4 going head-to-head. The winner of play-off 1 will automatically qualify for the grand finale. However, the loser of play-off 1 will get a second chance as they will take on the winner of the play off between team No.3 and No.4 for a place in the final. The opening ceremony of the IPL will be held on April 7 next year but the venue is yet to be decided.