Since the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup in November, the focus of the cricketing world has been fixed on the IPL. Cricket's biggest franchise tournament is set to return in 2024 for its 17th season.
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Ahead of the new season, however, the first order of business is that of the mini-auction. Franchises were instructed to finalise their list of retained and released players by 26 November, with the auction set to take place at the Coca-Cola arena in Dubai on December 19.
A total of 1166 players have registered for the auction, and the teams are hard at work drawing up their preferred targets. But who will be conducting the event?
Who will be the IPL 2024 auctioneer? Who will conduct the mini auction in Dubai?
In its initial seasons, the IPL auction was conducted by former Surrey cricketer Richard Madley, one of the world's leading sports auctioneers. It was then taken over by Hugh Edmeades in 2018.
Edmeades hit the headlines in 2022 when he collapsed on stage due to 'postural hypertension' during the auction and had to be replaced by Charu Sharma.
MORE: WPL 2024 Auction: Date, venue, and full list of 165 available players
He returned for the IPL 2023 auction, but will not be back for 2024. Instead, Edmeades is set to be replaced by Mallika Sagar, a Mumbai-based art collector, as per Sportstar.
Sagar began her auctioneering journey with famed auction house Christie's in 2001, and conducted the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auction in 2021. Earlier this year, she also conducted the first Women's Premier League (WPL) player auction in India.
Mallika Sagar will make history as the first woman to conduct an IPL auction.
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