The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) is gearing up for a major player auction, setting the stage for its third season of fast-paced tennis-ball T10 cricket. The much-anticipated auction event is scheduled for December 9 in Mumbai, where eight franchises will battle it out to secure talent from a massive pool of 408 players shortlisted from across 101 Indian cities.
Star Power and Big Changes for Season 3
The league, which enjoys strong backing from cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and a committee including Ashish Shelar, Minal Amol Kale, and Suraj Samat, is introducing significant upgrades this season. The most notable change is the increased team purse of ₹1.5 crore, a 50% jump from the ₹1 crore limit of the previous season. Furthermore, squad sizes have been expanded from 16 to 18 players, allowing for greater depth and strategy.
The star quotient of the league has also risen with the entry of two new franchisees from Bollywood. Salman Khan brings in the Delhi Superheros, while Ajay Devgn owns the Ahmedabad Lions. They will compete against the existing line-up of celebrity-owned teams: Amitabh Bachchan's Majhi Mumbai, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's Tiigers of Kolkata, Akshay Kumar's Srinagar Ke Veer, Suriya's Chennai Singams, Hrithik Roshan's Bengaluru Strikers, and Ram Charan's Falcon Risers Hyderabad.
New Auction Rules and Tournament Schedule
The ISPL auction promises to be a strategic battleground with several new rules designed to spice up the bidding. A novel "Googly Power" feature will allow a team to suddenly increase a bid by ₹1 lakh during intense bidding wars, adding an element of surprise. Each franchise will also have two RTM (Right to Match) cards to retain their players from Season 2 by matching the highest bid offered by another team.
All 408 players in the auction pool, which includes 400 shortlisted candidates and 8 scout picks, will start with a uniform base price of ₹3 lakh. The players are categorized into six groups: U-19, West, East, Central, South, and North zones. Teams must select a minimum of two players from each zone and include two U-19 players in their final squad of 18.
Ensuring fair play and maximum participation, the league mandates that one U-19 player and one player from each zone must feature in every match. Additionally, all 18 squad members are guaranteed to play at least once during the season. Franchises are free to spend any amount from their purse on a player, with no individual cap.
Grand Prize and Tournament Timeline
Adding to the glamour and competition, the top performer of ISPL Season 3 will drive away with a Porsche 911, positioning the tournament as one of the most lucrative sporting events in India. The league's third season is set to be held from January 9 to February 6, 2026, at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat.
The road to the auction saw massive interest, with trials conducted across the country after a staggering 44 lakh registrations. With enhanced financial muscle, new strategic auction tools, and the glitz of Bollywood ownership, the ISPL Season 3 auction on December 9 is poised to be a landmark event in India's evolving cricket landscape.
