List Of IPL Auction Venues

IPL Auction Venues (Source: AFP)

In 2008, the Indian Premier League ushered cricket into a new era of franchise-based T20 cricket. On February 20, some of India’s wealthiest businessmen and biggest Bollywood stars gathered at the Hilton Towers hotel on Mumbai’s western waterfront for the league’s first-ever player auction.

By the time the auction concluded that afternoon, the franchises had spent US$42 million to sign 78 players for the inaugural seven-week tournament.

The auction marked a significant shift in how teams approached cricket. With T20 leagues beginning to reshape the sport, success was no longer determined solely by what happened on the field.

Building the right squad before the season became equally important. Franchises had to identify the players who could fit their combinations, strengthen their weaknesses and deliver under pressure.

From that first auction, squad-building and strategic planning became integral to the IPL, with each season bringing new auctions, new strategies, and new challenges.

IPL 2027 Auction returns to India

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction has travelled a long way, moving through a rotation of Indian cities before crossing borders entirely in recent years.

However, that overseas run is now coming to an end, with the BCCI confirming a return to Indian soil for the 2027 season.

On Wednesday, league chairman Arun Dhumal told PTI that the IPL 2027 auction will be held in Goa in mid-December. "We have finalised Goa. The likely dates are December 15 to 16," said Dhumal.

Dhumal had earlier said that it was a conscious effort to bring the auction back to India. It will be a one-day affair as it is a mini auction.

Also read: WPL 2027 Start Date Announced, Direct Collision With Border-Gavaskar Trophy

However, staging it domestically in December has posed logistical challenges because suitable venues are often heavily booked during the peak wedding and events season.

The smaller requirements of a mini-auction have made the move easier this time around for IPL 2027 Player auction. 

Unlike the sprawling mega auction held before the 2025 season, franchises will primarily be looking to address specific weaknesses, replace released players and make selective additions to largely settled squads.

Why were three IPL Auctions held overseas?

For the unversed, the past three editions, 2024, 2025, and 2026, of the auction were held in Dubai, Jeddah (mega auction), and Abu Dhabi, respectively.

Rather than battling logistical hurdles at home, the BCCI had found overseas venues more accommodating. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia actively bid to host marquee cricket events and are prepared with infrastructure, hospitality, and flexibility. This makes the planning process smoother and more predictable.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, which hosted the IPL 2026 Auction, in particular, offered world-class facilities, cutting-edge broadcast readiness, and easy global accessibility. These factors are critical for an auction watched by millions worldwide and attended by franchise officials from multiple countries.

That being said, below in this article, take a look at the list of all IPL Auction venues.

List Of IPL Auction Venues Over the Years (2008-2027)

Also read: Malaysia's Virandeep Singh Joins Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma In Massive T20I Record