IPL 2027 auction to return to India after three years abroad, says Arun Dhumal

The IPL player auction for the 2027 season is set to return to India after three editions were held overseas, with league chairman Arun Dhumal saying the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen to bring the event back home.

The previous three auctions were held in Dubai, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, with the 2025 mega-auction taking place in Jeddah.

“Every year we try to make it happen in India but due to the heavy wedding season we don’t get it. So we definitely want it to be here this year as it would be a smaller auction and hopefully we will get a venue,” Dhumal told PTI.

Dhumal is expected to be re-elected as the IPL chairman at the BCCI’s annual general meeting on September 18. The host city for the auction will be decided based on the availability of BCCI’s preferred venue.

IMPACT PLAYER RULE UNDER REVIEW

The controversial Impact Player rule was also discussed at the recent IPL Governing Council meeting, with the BCCI seeking fresh feedback from the franchises.

The rule is currently scheduled to remain in place until the 2027 season, but the BCCI is open to revising it, Dhumal said.

“The matter is under discussion. We will take feedback from all stakeholders and then take a call on the matter,” he said.

The Impact Player rule allows teams to substitute players at any stage of an IPL match.

Several prominent players, including India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill, former skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, have expressed reservations about the rule. One of the concerns raised is that the rule weakens the role of true all-rounders.

Ahead of IPL 2026, most captains also voiced their objections to the BCCI’s Impact Player rule, leading to renewed calls for its scrapping.

Meanwhile, Khairul Majumdar is also set to be re-elected to the IPL Governing Council along with Dhumal during the BCCI AGM this week.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

16 Sep 2026 16:28 IST