REVEALED! Why is IPL Auction Held Outside India?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is undoubtedly one of the marquee events in cricket that the fans look forward to watch. The franchises' bidding wars, the auction table strategies, and the interviews that comes later, keeps the viewers stay hooked to the screen to watch everything in details.

The IPL is by far the richest cricket league in the world. However, in the past few years, the IPL auctions are being hosted outside of India. In 2024, the auction was hosted in Saudi Arabia, while this year, it was held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. During a recent interview, IPL Chairman revealed the reason behind the change in auction venues.

Why Is IPL Auction Held Outside India?

The IPL auction has turned out to be an interesting event in the recent years, drawing the attention of every cricket fan. However, the Indian fans are often wondering why is IPL auction not in India. Speaking about the reason behind the venues, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal said that the BCCI finds it difficult to book venues because of the wedding season in India.

The auction dates mostly clash with the wedding season and it gets difficult to book a venue in the top cities. Hence, it becomes easier for the board to look for locations outside of the subcontinent.

“At times it is very difficult for the BCCI to organise a venue given the marriage season is in full flow at this time of the year. You are aware that during this period, a lot of bilateral matches are played in India, so we had to fix the schedule accordingly. We tried hard to look for a venue in India, but unfortunately, with the number of hotel rooms that were required, we were not able to manage,” Arun Dhumal said in the interview with Sportstar.

The IPL chairman also mentioned about how the Indian Premier League has become a global event now and the countries urge the board to conduct the auction in different parts. Since the best cricketers in the world play in this tournament, the board tries to hold the auction in overseas location, giving the other countries a chance to be a part of the IPL.

Most Expensive Player in IPL Auction 2026

Australia's star all-rounder, Cameron Green became the highest paid player in the recently concluded IPL 2026 auction. There was an intense bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as both the teams were keen on buying Green. However, after a certain point, CSK left the race and Green went to KKR at a whopping amount of ₹25.20 crores.

But the player will not get the entire amount. As per new auction rules set in 2024, the BCCI has imposed a cap on the overseas players' salaries. The players will only get ₹18 crores as their salary. If the total amount is more than the capped one, the remaining amount will go to BCCI's player welfare fund.

Hence, Green, who is also one of the best all-rounders in the world, will get ₹18 crores and the remaining ₹7.20 crores will go to the BCCI. Green has been a consistent performer in the tournament and KKR would hope that he continues to entertain the crowd in the upcoming season.