The prelude to the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League, the IPL 2021 auction, is set to take place in Chennai on February 18. There are 292 players up for sale and 61 slots to fill –  here are the latest happenings from the event in our IPL 2021 auction live updates.

The eight IPL franchises are preparing for another auction a few months after the end of IPL 2020 with a big season looming ahead of another mega auction. This mini auction has fewer slots to fill, but some interesting players up for grabs after retentions, trades, transfers and releases ahead of the auction.

TV and live streaming details of the IPL 2021 auction can be found here.

IPL 2021 Auction Live Updates

The complete list of sold players is available here. And here, we have the updated squads after the auction.

That’s it from us, folks. This was a rapid auction that went on for umm, it’s been five hours, so scratch rapid. The bidding, however, was fierce, relentless and even as crores were splurged, there were some really smart acquisitions and a few good leaves outside the off-stump to some enticing names. Overall, well played to the eight teams. Whether they like it or not, they are stuck with these players, and will have to prepare for the 14th edition with this lot. I am Rohit Sankar, signing off after a stint in the company of Aadya Sharma.

Say hello to one of the most awaited names in the auction, Arjun Tendulkar, and Mumbai raise the paddle, as expected. SOLD at INR 20 lakh.

Akash Singh at INR 20 lakh. Rajasthan Royals buy him back at the base price.

Pawan Negi is up and KKR want him too. SOLD at base price to KKR.

Venkatesh Iyer sold at base price of INR 20 lakh to KKR.

Hanuma Vihari for the second time at INR 1 crore. No interest. UNSOLD.

And here we go one final time…

A five-minute interval for you to take a break from your screens. Back soon.

Ben Cutting is sold to KKR for INR 75 lakh. A bit of discussion before he’s taken by the Kolkata franchise. Corey Anderson, Rassie van der Dussen, Pawan Negi and Jason Behrendorff are all unsold. They’d make a good T20 team by themselves.

Hari Nishaanth will be part of the CSK camp for IPL 2021. INR 20 lakh for him.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the Afghanistan mystery spinner, finds a taker this time, and SRH are willing to splurge INR 1.5 crore on him.

Sam Billings goes to Delhi for INR 2 crore, the same price as Harbhajan Singh, who will now be in the KKR camp.

Karun Nair is sold to KKR for his base price of INR 50 lakh. Kedar Jadhav, too, finds a taker this time, and goes to SRH for INR 2 crore!  

South Africa player Marco Jansen is sold to Mumbai for INR 20 lakh. Saurabh Kumar, who was picked as a net bowler for the England Test series, is taken by Punjab for INR 20 lakh.

Jack Wildermuth, Harsh Tyagi and Gerald Coetzee end up in the UNSOLD pool. Tim David as well. No takers.

K Bhagath Varma is CSK’s newest member. Part of their family for INR 20 lakh.

Yudhvir Charak gets an opening bid from Mumbai, which is the price he’s sold for: INR 20 lakh.

Chris Green, Isuru Udana and Reece Topley all go UNSOLD. George Linde and Chaitanya Bishnoi, too, end up in the UNSOLD lot.

Scott Kuggleijn is unsold, but his New Zealand teammate James Neesham is acquired by Mumbai for INR 50 lakh. Wayne Parnell, too, is UNSOLD.

Harisankar Reddy is acquired by CSK for INR 20 lakh. Josh Inglis, however, is unsold. Kuldip Yadav (no, not that one) is sold at INR 20 lakh.

Suyash Prabhudessai is RCB’s newest recruit. Sold for INR 20 lakh. They also purchase KS Bharat for the same amount. Handy buys.

Australia teammates Sean Abbott and Matthew Wade don’t get any deals this time (so far). UNSOLD.

Liam Livingstone is acquired by Rajasthan without much competition from the rest. INR 75 lakh for him. Thisara Perera and Ben McDermott are UNSOLD.

Dan Christian, the veteran Australia all-rounder, is garnering quite some interest. Even at 37, he’s still a sought-after entity in T20 cricket. KKR and RCB are locked in a battle to pouch him. In the end, it’s RCB who acquire him for INR 4.80 Cr. Well well.

Ben Dwarshius is UNSOLD. Fabian Allen is sold to Punjab Kings for 75 lakh.

No takers for Karan Sharma or KL Shrijith. Utkarsh Sharma is sold to Punjab for INR 20 lakh, Vaibhav Arora gets a bid of INR 20 lakh from KKR.

Jalaj Saxena is the first player in. The domestic workhorse is sold to Punjab Kings for INR 30 lakh. Well deserved.

7.20 pm IST: So, back we are. On to the next set of players. At the moment, Punjab Kings have the maximum remaining budget (INR 20.25).

We are in for a break. Get some coffee and take a breather! This is still going down to the wire with franchises still having enough balance to go big on some players late in the day.

Naveen ul Haq, the deceptive Afghanistan quick bowler is in. He is UNSOLD.

Jason Behrendorff enters. This might be interesting. He had a good season for Perth Scorchers in the BBL. No bids, however. UNSOLD.

Mitchell McCleneghan, a Mumbai Indians faithful for years, is up at INR 50 lakh. He is UNSOLD.

Billy Stanlake, released by SRH, is here at INR 1 crore. No bids for him. UNSOLD.

Mohit Sharma – UNSOLD. 

Oshane Thomas, the West Indian quick, at INR 50 lakh. UNSOLD.

Varun Aaron – UNSOLD

Moises Henriques at INR 1 crore. RCB and Punjab Kings engage. It seemed to be a done deal at INR 3.8 crore for Punjab, but RCB make a late entry to revive the bidding. SOLD to Punjab at INR 4.2 crore.

Here comes Marnus Labuschagne. He had a good BBL, doing a handy job with his leg-breaks too. In at a base price of INR 1 crore, but is UNSOLD.

Gurkeerat Singh, with RCB last season, goes UNSOLD.

Tom Curran, the England quick who is known for his T20 death overs cutters and slower balls. SRH and DC want him. SOLD to DC at INR 5.25 crore.

Ben Cutting – UNSOLD

Kyle Jamieson has 54 wickets at an economy of 7.98 and a best of 6-7 in T20s, not to forget his exploits in Test cricket in New Zealand. But, would it swing and seam around as much in India? The jury’s out for this one. A good buy, you reckon?

Kyle Jamieson, the highly touted New Zealand quick enters. RCB and DC throw the bait immediately. This is pulsating. In no time, the base price of INR 75 lakh has shot up to INR 7.5 crore. Punjab enter, as they always do. DC drop out, it is between RCB and PBKS (that’s what Punjab Kings are apparently called now) now. Over 10 crore now! SOLD to RCB at INR 15 crore! 

Martin Guptill – UNSOLD

*Stop the press* Cheteshwar Pujara gets a bid. It is…guess, who? CSK! Well, that was expected, wasn’t it? Base price of course.

A 10-minute break for all of us to take a breather. Don’t go too far.

M Sudhesan and Tejas Baroka also find no takers. UNSOLD so far.

Sandeep Lamichhane is UNSOLD as well. Quite a surprise, that.

J Suchith starts at INR 20 lakh. SRH bag him for INR 30 lakh.

Karanveer Singh is also UNSOLD.

Tushar Deshpande remains UNSOLD. M Siddharth goes to DC for INR 20 lakh.

Riley Meredith is the next one. Punjab and Delhi are locked in a battle for him. The bids have breezed past INR 5 crore already. At the end, it’s Punjab Kings who bag him for INR 8 crore.

Next set now

Chetan Sakariya shone in the SMAT too for Saurashtra and RCB and RR are interested in him. He took 5-11 last month in the Syed Mushtaq Ali game against Vidarbha. SOLD to RR for INR 1.2 crore.

Lukman Meriwala, who had a terrific Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, comes in at a base price of INR 20 lakh. SOLD to DC at base price.

Ankit Rajpoot, the new ball bowler, but no interest for him. UNSOLD

Mujtaba Yousuf – UNSOLD

Avi Barot – UNSOLD

Mohammad Azharuddeen, the Kerala opener who blasted a 37-ball hundred this Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, is sold at base price to RCB.

Kedar Devdhar – UNSOLD

Sheldon Jackson, the veteran Saurashtra keeper. SOLD to KKR at base price.

Vishnu Vinod – SOLD to DC at base price.

Vivek Singh – UNSOLD

And Krishnappa Gowtham steps in. KKR open the bid at INR 20 lakh. Hyderabad want him too. An intense bidding war here. It’s quickly escalated to INR 6.5 crore. CSK STEP IN AT INR 7.75 crore, but Sunrisers aren’t letting him go. SOLD to CSK at INR 9.25 crore

Venkatesh Iyer – UNSOLD

Ayush Badoni – UNSOLD

Say hello to Shahrukh Khan! No, not that one. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder who packs a punch as a finisher. RCB and DC lock horns for him. Punjab enter and are adamant on getting him. They do! SOLD TO Punjab at INR 5.25 crore.

Ripal Patel – SOLD to DC at INR 20 lakh.

First up in SET 7 is Atit Sheth. He goes UNSOLD.

Vishnu Solanki, who hit a Dhoni-esque six off the last ball to win a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game is UNSOLD.

Himmat Singh – UNSOLD

Rajat Patidar – SOLD at INR 20 lakh to RCB

Rahul Gahlaut – UNSOLD.

Sachin Baby from Kerala, a former RCB player. And they open the bid. SOLD at base price.

Hari Nishaanth from Tamil Nadu at a base price. UNSOLD.

Himanshu Rana here after the break. No bidders, UNSOLD.

A five-minute break for you to get your coffee.

Qaid Ahmad also remains UNSOLD. Ah well.

Piyush Chawla, who was the most expensive Indian player last time, is back in demand this time too. Released by CSK after IPL 2020, he has been snapped up by Mumbai Indians for INR 2.40 Cr.

Ish Sodhi is another spinner who has no takers. UNSOLD.

Harbhajan Singh, who turns 41 this year, is also UNSOLD.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is also UNSOLD. Surprise surprise.

Rahul Sharma suffers the same fate. UNSOLD.

Adil Rashid is the first one. No bids. And he’s UNSOLD.

Next set!

Umesh Yadav is sold to Delhi Capitals for INR 1 crore. That was quick.

No takers for Sheldon Contrell. He’s UNSOLD.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Richardson’s Australia teammate, is up next. And he’s straightaway in the middle of a bidding war. Mumbai Indians acquire him for INR 5 Cr. He’s back to where he was.

Jhye Richardson is the next one. There’s an intense (and rather quick) bidding going on for him! Punjab and RCB are locked in a heated battle for the 24-year-old. Mind you, he was the leading wicket-taker with 29 wickets in the 2020/21 BBL. He’s sold to Punjab for INR 14 Cr! Spectacular.

Mustafizur Rahman goes to Rajasthan Royals for INR 1 Cr. Not enough interest from the others. At that price, it’s a solid deal.

Adam Milne is the next one on the list. Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals getting into a mini-battle to acquire his services. And he’s sold to MI for INR 3.20 Cr

Off to SET 4 now!

Kusal Perera the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper batsman at INR 50 lakh. C’mon fols! He is a legend. No bids and UNSOLD. *disappointed*

Sam Billings at a base price of INR 2 crore. UNSOLD.

Alex Carey in at INR 1.5 crore. Remember, he was released by Delhi Capitals after last season. UNSOLD.

First up is Glenn Phillips who hit New Zealand’s fastest T20I hundred in December last year. No bids for him. UNSOLD.

We are back and it’s wicketkeepers’ time.

We have a mini break! But that went from zilch excitement for SET 1 to all guns blazing for SET 2. Chris Morris with a record buy for an overseas player in the IPL auction.

Highest buys in the IPL Auction

Chris Morris: INR 16.25 cr (Rajasthan, 2021)

Yuvraj Singh: INR 16 cr (Delhi, 2015)
Pat Cummins: INR 15.5 cr (Kolkata, 2020)
Ben Stokes: INR 14.5 cr (Pune, 2017)
GLENN MAXWELL: INR 14.25 cr (Bangalore, 2021) 

Don’t breathe yet. The No.1 ICC T20I batsman Dawid Malan is here. A base price of INR 1.5 crore and who else but Punjab Kings with the opening bid. A STEAL. Sold at base price to Punjab Kings.

Chris Morris is in, and the South African is immediately in a bidding war between MI and RCB. Up to INR 5 crore easily. WOW! That was some race. It’s not done, MI go to INR 8 crore. And 10 crore now. RCB bow out. Morris is a handy death bowler and a terrific lower order batsman. More importantly, it makes Mumbai near-invincible if they get him. But, they have competition as Rajasthan Royals join in. MI up to INR 12.5 crore now, but Rajasthan persist and Mumbai are now out of the race. Wait, though. Punjab enter the fray now. This is now the T̶H̶I̶R̶D̶ HIGHEST BID IN THE HISTORY OF THE IPL AUCTION. Up to INR 16.25 crore. SOLD to Rajasthan Royals for the record fee.

Highest buys in the IPL Auction

Yuvraj Singh: INR 16 cr (Delhi, 2015)
Pat Cummins: INR 15.5 cr (Kolkata, 2020)
Ben Stokes: INR 14.5 cr (Pune, 2017)
GLENN MAXWELL: INR 14.25 cr (Bangalore, 2021)
Yuvraj Singh: INR 14 cr (Bangalore, 2014) 

Shivam Dube at INR 50 lakh. Sunrisers Hyderabad make their first bid. Rajasthan Royals want him too. Delhi Capitals join in at INR 3.8 crore, but Royals go one step ahead. SOLD to Rajasthan Royals for INR 4.4 crore.

Moeen Ali up for grabs. He did show what he is capable of in Chennai two days back. Punjab Kings were impressed apparently and bid for him at INR 2 crore. They aren’t the only ones, though, as CSK join the battle to make up for losing Maxwell. The England all-rounder’s stocks on the rise as Punjab Kings and CSK engage in a bidding war. Sold for INR 7 crore to CSK.

Shakib Al Hasan is up for sale. Kolkata Knight Riders go for the opening bid, but Punjab Kings, and their heavy purse, intervene. SOLD to KKR for INR Rs 3.2 crore.

Here’s Kedar Jadhav to cool it down. UNSOLD.

Phew that was…well, whatever it was.

Glenn Maxwell, who made ripples before the auction, is in at INR 2 crore base price. Interesting fact, he hit ZERO sixes in IPL 2020. But, that doesn’t stop KKR from bidding for him first up. Rajasthan Royals engage them in a battle. Where Rajasthan drop, RCB take up. And, Chennai Super Kings enter the battle at INR 4.6 crore as KKR drops out. CSK seem adamant as they go to INR 6 crore. CSK have just the one overseas slot, and seem to be really keen on the Australia. Up to INR 10 crore now. This is getting ridiculous now for someone who last made a fifty in the IPL in 2016. INR 13 crore now. RCB with the bid at INR 14.25 crore. SOLD to RCB.

A rather uneventful first set. We now move to Set 2 players!

Hanuma Vihari at INR 1 crore is up next. No interest for him. UNSOLD.

Aaron Finch at INR 1.5 crore up next. UNSOLD

Evin Lewis, the West Indies opener up for grabs – A base price of INR 1 crore, but he is UNSOLD.

Finally a bid! Steve Smith with a base price of INR 2 crore and RCB make the bid. They are unchallenged! Oh wait, Delhi Capitals enter the fray. SOLD to DC for INR 2.2 Crore

Jason Roy at INR 2 Crore is up next. No interest for the England opener who was released by Delhi Capitals. UNSOLD!

Alex Hales is up for sale. The England opener was in great form in the Big Bash League in the latest season. At a base price of Rs 1.5 crore, he is UNSOLD!

Karun Nair at INR 50L – No bids for the triple centurion from 2016. UNSOLD.

The auction is about to begin *drumrolls*

Brijesh Patel hints that the crowds will “most likely” be in attendance for IPL 2021!

Welcome to the IPL 2021 Auction! We are about to kickstart the day! Brace yourselves for an interesting day. If you are unfamiliar with how the auction works, here is an explainer.

IPL 2021 team summary before auction

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Total players: 19

Overseas players: 7

Available slots: 6

Overseas slots: 1

Salary cap available: INR 19.90 crore

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Total players: 17

Overseas players: 5

Available slots: 8

Overseas slots: 3

Salary cap available: INR 13.4 crore

Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab)

Total players: 16

Overseas players: 3

Available slots: 9

Overseas slots: 5

Salary cap available: INR 53.20 crore

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Total players: 17

Overseas players: 6

Available slots: 8

Overseas slots: 2

Salary cap available: INR 10.75 crore

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Total players: 18

Overseas players: 4

Available slots: 7

Overseas slots: 4

Salary cap available: INR 15.35 crore

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Total players: 16

Overseas players: 5

Available slots: 9

Overseas slots: 3

Salary cap available: INR 37.85 crore

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Total players: 14

Overseas players: 5

Available slots: 11

Overseas slots: 3

Salary cap available: INR 35.40 crore

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Total players: 22

Overseas players: 7

Available slots: 3

Overseas slots: 1

Salary cap available: INR 10.75 crore