IPL 2024: Not Hugh Edmeades; BCCI Considering Mallika Sagar as Auctioneer – REPORT

Mumbai: We are roughly a fortnight away from the IPL 2024 auction where over 1000 players will go under the hammer with hopes and dreams. While the franchises must have already chalked out a plan by now as to the players they would target, the auction will be special from an Indian point of view. Like always, Hugh Edmeades would not be the auctioneer, instead it would be an Indian-origin woman. As per reports, Mallika Sagar, who was the auctioneer at the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League, would be doing the job in Dubai later this month.

Edmeades suffered “postural hypotension” on the first day of the IPL 2022 mega auction at the ITC Gardenia hotel in Bengaluru. He was soon replaced by Charu Sharma, who was in the city at that point of time.

“My fall came totally out of the blue in Bengaluru,” he said ahead of the latter event in December last year. “In 2,700 auctions I have never fallen off the stage in my life. I am fine now, no recurrence. I think I was just physically unprepared. Not enough sleep, not enough food. I think I just ran out of gas. I felt it coming on and I thought I would have a break after I have sold Hasaranga but the next thing I knew I was being picked off the floor. That was unexpected. Touching wood, I am very fit, thank you.”

1166 players have registered for the IPL 2024 auction, out of which 830 are Indians and the rest 336 are overseas. Only 77 slots are available in the 10 franchises – 30 overseas and 47 Indian.