New Delhi: The IPL auction is coming home. The 2027 player auction will be held in Goa in December, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed on September 23, ending a three-year run of overseas editions.
“This year, after hosting the IPL auction in three foreign locations — Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi last year — we are going to host it in Goa in the month of December,” Saikia told ANI. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal indicated the likely window is December 15 to 16: “We have finalised Goa. The likely dates are December 15 to 16.”
The return to India follows auctions in Dubai (2024), Jeddah (2025, the mega auction) and Abu Dhabi (2026). Goa previously hosted the auction back in 2009. The board had struggled to find a venue during India’s crowded wedding season before settling on Goa, and the event will be the final mini auction of the 2023-27 cycle — meaning a smaller player pool than a mega event.
Trade season already buzzing
Franchises have not waited for December. The headline deal of the off-season saw Rishabh Pant return to Delhi Capitals for a revised fee of INR 15 crore, while Kuldeep Yadav moved the other way to Lucknow Super Giants for INR 13.50 crore. Pant captained LSG across 2025 and 2026, scoring 581 runs in 28 matches; Kuldeep claimed 72 wickets in 65 games for Delhi after joining in 2022.
Chennai Super Kings, meanwhile, have appointed Zaheer Khan as head coach, replacing Stephen Fleming — the man who guided them to all five titles. Zaheer previously served as Mumbai Indians’ director of cricket operations and was Lucknow’s mentor in 2025.
Captaincy carousel
Kolkata Knight Riders face the biggest leadership question after Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement on July 30. Rinku Singh, last season’s designated vice-captain, is the in-house option, though he is yet to captain an IPL side. Mumbai Indians have rejigged off the field too, naming Zubin Bharucha as director of performance.
Reports have also linked Hardik Pandya with a possible move away from Mumbai Indians, with Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow and Rajasthan all mentioned as suitors — a bidding war there would define the auction if he enters the pool. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the back-to-back champions of 2025 and 2026, will look to fine-tune rather than rebuild.
With retentions due by the end of November, the next two months will set the table for Goa. The auction may be a mini one, but the storylines are anything but small.
