A player auction turns team selection into the most exciting night of your tournament. Teams get a fixed budget (the purse), players come up one by one, and team owners bid until the timer runs out. Done well, it gives you balanced teams and a big crowd before a ball is bowled. Here is how to do it.
1. Decide the auction rules before anything else
Write these down and share them with every owner at least a day before the auction:
- Team purse: the same budget for every team, for example ₹1,00,000.
- Base price: the starting bid for every player, usually ₹500 or ₹1,000.
- Bid increments: how much each new bid goes up. A common ladder is +₹500 up to ₹5,000, +₹1,000 up to ₹20,000, then +₹2,000.
- Squad size: a minimum (e.g. 11) and a maximum (e.g. 15) players per team.
- Bid timer: how long a bid stays open before the player is SOLD, typically 20–30 seconds.
- Icon or retained players: whether captains or owners keep certain players before the auction, and at what price.
Not sure what numbers to pick? Use our auction rules guide and purse calculator.
2. Collect player registrations
Share one registration link in your WhatsApp groups. Ask for name, phone number, role (batter, bowler, all-rounder, wicket-keeper), batting and bowling style, and a photo. Photos matter: owners bid more confidently when they can see who is coming up.
If you already collect names in a Google Form or Excel sheet, keep doing that and import the sheet. Set a registration deadline two or three days before the auction so you have time to check the list.
3. Set up teams and owners
Add each team with its name, short name and colour, and decide who bids for it. Every owner should bid from their own phone. Calling out bids in a noisy room leads to arguments; a phone tap with a time stamp does not.
4. Prepare the auction night
- 1
Book a room with a projector or TV
A big screen showing the player, the current bid and the leading team makes the night. - 2
Order the player list
Start with a few popular players to build excitement, then mix experienced and new players. - 3
Do a 5-minute test bid
Have every owner log in and place a test bid before the real auction starts. Fix login problems now, not mid-auction. - 4
Choose an auctioneer
One person runs the screen, announces each player and calls SOLD. Keep the energy up and the pace quick.
5. Run the auction
For each player:
- Bring the player up on the big screen with photo, role and base price.
- Owners bid. Each bid must be the next step on the increment ladder, and a team cannot bid more than it can afford.
- When the timer runs out, the highest bidder wins: SOLD. If nobody bids, the player is UNSOLD.
- Move on quickly. A good pace is 60–90 seconds per player.
The most important rule: a team must always keep enough money to complete its minimum squad at the base price. If a team needs 5 more players at ₹500, it must keep ₹2,500 back and cannot spend it on one big bid. This stops a team ending up with too few players.
6. Unsold players and the second round
When the main list is finished, bring the unsold players back for a quick second round. Teams that still need players will usually buy them at the base price.
7. After the auction
- Finish the auction and share the final squads with each team's spend and remaining purse.
- Let owners choose their captain, vice-captain and wicket-keeper.
- Make the fixtures and send everyone the schedule link.
Do it all from one app
CricMitra was built for exactly this. Players register from a WhatsApp link, owners bid from their phones, the purse and minimum squad rule are checked on every bid, and the big screen shows a giant SOLD stamp. After the auction the same app makes the fixtures and runs ball-by-ball live scoring. See it in the demo tournament.