A BCCI official stated on Tuesday that the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction will take place in Abu Dhabi in the middle of December. The auction will take place abroad for the third time in a row, after Jeddah (2024) and Dubai (2023). It is most likely scheduled for December 15 or 16.
“Abu Dhabi has been locked in as the auction venue,” the official said.
After last year’s mega auction in Saudi Arabia, this would be a mini auction.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) are reportedly going to trade their captain and longtime wicketkeeper-batter, Sanju Samson, to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in what may be one of the most prominent deals in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Although neither team has formally confirmed the development, both teams have had preliminary conversations with the players concerned. The three players involved in the possible transfer must be named in an expression of interest that CSK and RR send to the IPL Governing Council in order to finish the process. According to ESPNcricinfo, the teams can finalize the deal after the players provide their written assent; the governing council must then approve it.
Sanju has represented the Rajasthan Royals for 11 seasons, making him the team’s face for over ten years. At the age of 19, he was retained before the 2014 season after joining RR in 2013 and rapidly emerging as one of their main players.
Samson returned in 2018 and assumed the captaincy in 2021 following RR’s two-year suspension (2016–17). RR made their first appearance in the IPL final since winning the first edition in 2008 under his captaincy and with the help of team director Kumar Sangakkara in 2022.
Since joining the Chennai Super Kings in 2012, Ravindra Jadeja has been a crucial member of the team for more than ten years, helping them win three of their five IPL titles, with the exception of the two years when CSK was suspended. Prior to the 2025 mega auction, he was retained for Rs 18 crore as CSK’s backup to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. The all-rounder is CSK’s top wicket-taker with 143 wickets, including a best of 5/16, and has participated in 254 IPL games, the fifth most in the competition’s history.
It’s interesting to note that Rajasthan Royals was Jadeja’s first IPL team; as a 19-year-old, he made his debut for them in 2008 and was a member of their title-winning side.
