Top Australia and England players who had been mulling over entering the IPL 2022 mega auction have been given a lifeline as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has extended the deadline of giving their names in the auction up to January 20 for enrollment in the mega auction, scheduled for February 12 and 13 in Bangalore. The IPL 2022 will see 10 teams clashing for the top prize of the Indian Premier League trophy. This tournament will have 74 matches including the league phase and the playoffs and the tournament is expected to begin in March this year, possibly to be held in India.
With two new teams entering the fray, the number of matches has been increased from 60. However, this had led to top foreign players developing cold feet towards entering the tournament auction as this would mean living in a bio-bubble for 22 weeks until the IPL 2022 ends. Players like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, who could be big draws at the auction, are having second thoughts about entering the auction. Australia’s all-format players like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are also having doubts about playing in the IPL 2022 thinking about withstanding the bubble environment for close to 22 weeks till July.
