The 2021 IPL player auction will take place in Chennai on 18 February. The announcement comes after the meeting of the IPL Governing Council on January 6, where it was agreed that the tournament’s 2021 edition will remain an eight-team event. The IPL Governing Council has remained uncertain about whether to conduct matches on a home-and-away basis, which would mean having at least eight venues, with the pandemic throwing up challenges on a regular basis. The other alternative was to organize the tournament at a limited number of venues, which was also discussed last year before moving the tournament to the UAE, which would reduce team travel. Based on this system, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is currently being held.