BCCI announces venue for IPL 2027 auction

The Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary, Devajit Saikia, has confirmed Goa as the venue for the IPL 2027 auction. The eagerly awaited event will be held in mid-December. The last three auctions were staged outside India in Dubai in 2024, Jeddah in 2025 and Abu Dhabi in 2026. The upcoming auction will be the final mini auction of the 2023 to 27 cycle.

There is already significant movement ahead of the next edition of the tournament. The player trade involving Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals has been the biggest headline since the conclusion of the previous season. Pant was traded back to Delhi Capitals for a revised fee of INR 15 crore in June, while Kuldeep moved to Lucknow Super Giants for INR 13.50 crore.

Pant captained Lucknow Super Giants in 2025 and 2026, scoring 581 runs in 28 matches. Kuldeep joined Delhi Capitals in 2022 and claimed 72 wickets in 65 fixtures.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be in desperate search of a captain as Ajinkya Rahane, who led them in the previous season, announced his retirement on July 30. KKR have an in-house option in the form of Rinku Singh. He was their designated vice-captain last season. While Rinku has leadership experience in the UPT20 League, he is yet to captain a side in the IPL.

In yet another major development, five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have roped in former India left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan as their head coach for the upcoming edition. Zaheer replaced Stephen Fleming, who guided Chennai to all five titles.

Zaheer comes with a lot of experience. He was the director of cricket operations at Mumbai Indians and then took up the position of Global Head of Development once the owners of the franchise expanded to leagues worldwide. He also served as LSG's mentor in 2025.