IPL's 11th edition to get football-style mid-season transfers

The feature that the Indian Premier League (IPL) was missing for the last decade has finally been added for the forthcoming edition. Taking a cue from football, the IPL too will have a mid-season transfer in the 11th edition, which will spice up the tournament.

mid-day was the first to report on the idea being proposed during an IPL workshop meeting last November. The proposal has now been accepted. "Yes, this time the IPL will see mid-season transfers," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla told mid-day here yesterday. However, there are a few riders. It is applicable for only uncapped players (those who have not played international cricket) and those who have played no more than two matches till the half-way stage, according to an IPL official.

Five-day window
"The transfer will take place in between Match No. 28 to 42 and the transfer window will be open for roughly five days. The transfer will take place only if there is a demand for that particular player from another franchisee," the official explained.

Teams happy with new move
There is no clarity yet on whether the transfer will involve money. The introduction of a transfer window will enable uncapped players to play from another team after being benched by their original franchise. The new addition to the IPL was hailed by the franchises. Delhi Daredevils' assistant coach Pravin Amre said: "Every youngster who comes into the IPL aims to play at some point. The transfer window is a great initiative by the IPL. Sometimes, players are bought in the auction, but don't fit into combinations. As a result, he has to be on the bench. In such a scenario, it makes sense to trade the player if he is not going to play in the tournament."

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