Sony SIX to LIVE telecast the VIVO IPL 2016 Player Auction

Sony SIX, (a part of Sony Pictures Networks India) India’s premier sports and entertainment channel, announced that it will broadcast the VIVO IPL 2016 Player Auction. The player auction will be aired live and exclusive from Bangalore on Sony SIX as well as Sony SIX HD on February 6, Saturday, 0900 hrs onwards.

Apart from last edition’s most expensive players, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik, other impressive names at the auction table will include Irfan Pathan, Kane Richardson, Michael Hussey, Ishant Sharma, and Mohit Sharma. The auction will also see the inclusion of two new teams, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions, who will be bidding to build their teams for the first time.

As many as 100 cricketers including 36 overseas players have been retained by the franchises for the 2016 season. Viewers will get to witness franchises bidding from a pool of 351 cricketers, including 230 from India at the auction. For the ninth season, the franchises have a salary purse of Rs.66 crore each which is a Rs. 3 crore jump from last season's purse with a balance sum of 198.28 crores remaining with the 8 franchises.

The auction will be led by Richard Madley, a professional auctioneer from England who has been shepherding the player auctions since its inception in 2008. Former Indian cricketer, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Extraaa Innings host Gaurav Kapur will be present at the auction to share their insights on both, team as well as player strategies.

The Player Auction for 2016 is an exciting opportunity for teams looking to rebuild their rosters and will lead up to the year’s most anticipated sporting extravaganza, the VIVO IPL 2016.

Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sports cluster, Sony Pictures Networks India says, “The VIVO IPL is the biggest T20 cricket league in the world with top Indian and International names in cricket participating in this tournament. The player auction always sets the tone for the tournament and 2016 will surely be more exciting with two new teams fiercely bidding to build their player line-up.”

“Telecast on Sony SIX, the viewing experience will be further enhanced by the panellists who will engage fans with their expert insights on the bidding strategies employed by the teams.”