IPL player auction set for February 20

The player auction ahead of the 2017 season of the IPL will be held on February 20 in Bangalore, with the tournament scheduled to begin on April 5.

"So far, more than 750 players have registered for the Player Auction 2017," the BCCI said in a release. "The deadline for player registration ends today, February 3, 2017."

Each IPL franchise can have up to 27 players in its squad, with a maximum of nine overseas players. The purse for each team has been capped at INR 66 crore (approximately $10 million).

Originally proposed for February 4, the auction was delayed as the BCCI grappled with the fallout of the Supreme Court removing its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke on January 2.

This will be the last IPL season before teams overhaul their player rosters for 2018 and beyond. All existing player contracts will expire after IPL 2017 and most players - apart from those the franchises are allowed to retain - will have to go into the auction ahead of the 2018 season.