IPL 2024 likely to start from March 22; Josh Hazlewood to miss first five weeks

New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is expected to be played between March 22 and the end of May and with India likely to go for general elections in April-May, IPL has told franchises that the schedule would be made once the poll dates are announced formally, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction will take place in Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday, making it the first instance of an auction taking place overseas.
A maximum of 77 slots are now available, with up to 30 being slotted for overseas players. INR 2 crore is the highest reserve price, with 23 players choosing to be slotted in the highest bracket. Thirteen players are on the auction list with a base price of INR 1.5 crore.
According to ESPNcricinfo, on the eve of the 2024 auction, the IPL also informed teams about the availability of players in the next season's auction.
The IPL auction featuring 333 cricketers are scheduled to go under the gavel on Tuesday.
If Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood is purchased at auction, he will be available only in the first week of May. He and his wife are said to be expecting their first child. He was released by the RCB and joined the auction with a starting bid of INR 2 crore (about USD 240,000).
England's 19-year-old leg-spin all-rounder Rehan Ahmed, who listed his base price as INR 50 lakh (USD 60,000 approx), has been withdrawn from the auction at short notice, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Harry Brook, Phil Salt, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid are among some of the top England players who have entered the auction.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has made available all of its major white-ball players for the duration of the IPL 2024. This includes Chennai Super Kings' Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana, as well as Wanindu Hasranga and Dushmantha Chameera, who were released by RCB and Lucknow Super Giants, respectively.
Bangladesh fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam have withdrawn their names from the auction due to scheduled home series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in March and April.
The ten IPL franchises have had until November 15 to submit their list of retained and released players. The 2022 champions Gujarat Titans have the largest purse available of Rs 38.15 crore followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad Rs 34 crore. (ANI)