IPL auction confirmed for February 18 in Chennai
New Delhi, Jan 27: The IPL players' auction ahead of the 2021 edition will be held in Chennai on February 18, the league organisers announced on Wednesday.
The announcement was made via IPL's Twitter handle exactly a week after PTI reported the date.
"IPL 2021 Player Auction on 18th February," read part of the post.
The "mini auction" will take place following the first two Tests between India and England in Chennai. The series begins on February 5 while the second Test will be played from February 13 to 17.
The BCCI is also yet to decide whether the IPL will happen in India even though the Board President Sourav Ganguly has repeatedly asserted that everything possible would be done to keep the glitzy event at its home.
The 2020 edition was held in the UAE in September-November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A smooth conduct of India's home series against England from next month should pave the way for the lucrative league to be held at home.
The player retention deadline ended on January 20 and the trading window closes on February 4.
Top Australian draws like Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell were released from Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab respectively on the last day of the retention deadline.
The other notable names to be released were Chris Morris, Harbhajan Singh and Aaron Finch. A total of 139 players were retained by the franchises and 57 players were released.
Kings XI Punjab will enter the auction with the biggest purse (Rs 53.20 crore), followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs 35.90 crore) and Rajasthan Royals (Rs 34.85 crore).
With Rs 10.75 crore each, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad have the lowest purse going into the auction.
?ALERT?: IPL 2021 Player Auction on 18th February?️
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) January 27, 2021
Venue ?: Chennai
How excited are you for this year's Player Auction? ??
Set your reminder folks ?️ pic.twitter.com/xCnUDdGJCa
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Kantara mimicking case: HC extends interim relief given to actor Ranveer Singh till March 9
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Monday extended the interim relief given to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh till March 9, in a case related to mimicking a character from the movie, 'Kantara Chapter-1', and allegedly mocking a deity.
The actor had approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the FIR against him for mimicking Rishab Shetty's role as 'Chavunda' deity in the movie.
While mimicking, Singh had called the deity a "ghost". The actor was asked to appear before the court in person on Monday.
Appearing on behalf of the actor, his counsel Sajjan Poovayya said Singh was stuck in London and was unable to reach Bengaluru due to the conflict in West Asia.
The complainant, who is a lawyer, alleged that his religious sentiments were hurt by calling the deity a ghost. On the directions of a local Court, the police registered a case against the actor.
The High Court on February 24 granted interim relief to the actor with directions to the police not to take any coercive steps against him.
