The IPL player auction ahead of the 2021 season is likely to be held on 18 February, as confirmed by BCCI official on Friday.

"The auction will be held on 18 February. The venue is yet to be decided," the official said.

The BCCI is also yet to decide whether the IPL will happen in India or not even though Board President Sourav Ganguly has repeatedly asserted that anything possible would be done to keep the event at its home soil. The 2020 edition was held in the UAE in September-November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The player retention deadline ended on 20 January and the trading window closes on 4 February.

The BCCI had plans to add 2 franchises in the Fourteenth edition of IPL. However, it was rejected at the annual meeting held on December 24, 2020. It was decided to add these two franchises in the 2022 IPL.