BCCI urged to consider auction of domestic players

In the wake of allegations about players being paid 'black money', and five domestic players suspended for their involvement in spot-fixing, the Board of Control for Cricket in India may have a separate auction for uncapped domestic players in the coming seasons of the cash-rich IPL.

It is learnt that at least three franchises, during their meeting with the BCCI top brass, have requested to have either an 'open auction' or a separate one exclusively for uncapped domestic players in order to avoid confusion.

"The brand gets affected by these allegations and the best way to do it is by having either open auctions or an exclusive auction for uncapped domestic players. We have already intimated our feelings to the IPL Governing council in this regard. They have assured us that the matter would be seriously considered," an IPL team official said on Wednesday.

Till now, according to the BCCI's salary cap, the maximum an uncapped domestic player can earn is Rs 30 lakh, considering he has five years experience in first-class cricket.

For BCCI, the 'Open Auction' is certainly not a feasible option considering that IPL auctions are televised live and including hundreds of domestic players won't be commercially viable.

"But we can certainly think of a separate auction for domestic players even if its not televised. It will certainly be a step forward towards maintaining transparency as far payments are concerned," the BCCI official said.

Another franchise official cited Ambati Rayudu's example as to why domestic players who have performed consistently should not get more.

"A Wriddhiman Saha on basis of international experience fetched US $100,000 (CSK) from last year's IPL auctions. Now Ambati Rayudu is entitled to Rs 30 lakh even though his T20 credentials are far more than that of Saha," the official explained.