APL Season 4 auction: 520 players to go under the hammer on July 14

The much-awaited fourth season of the Andhra Premier League (APL) is set to be organised from August 8 to 24. With the addition of a seventh team and an expanded match schedule, this season promises to be the biggest ever, members of the APL Governing Council said.

They also announced that a grand auction event had been scheduled for July 14.

Addressing the media at the Dr YSR ACA VDCA International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, APL Governing Council chairman Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao said that this year’s tournament would be bigger and better.

The response to season 4 of APL has been overwhelming, and it led to the inclusion of more teams and players, he said.

“Last year, we had 430 players in the auction pool. This year, that number has increased to 520. We have also raised the number of matches to 25, including four playoffs. Last year, it was just 15,” Mr. Ranga Rao said.

All matches of the season 4 will be played at Dr. YSR ACA VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. However, plans are afoot to host matches across regions from next season onwards.

Referring to the auction of players, Mr. Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao said Navneet Krishna has been appointed as the official auctioneer. Each team has been allocated an auction purse of ₹35 lakh, and franchises will bid for 18 to 20 players.

In a move aimed at nurturing the young talent, Mr. Ranga Rao said each franchise had been mandated to sign at least two Under-19 players. He cited the example of Vaibhav Suryavamshi, a promising U-19 player, who was recently part of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

ACA Secretary S. Sathish Babu said that 520 players had registered for the auction. These players have been divided into four categories: nine in the Marquee set, 21 in Grade A, 112 in Grade B, and 378 in Grade C. Additionally, 104 Under-19 players are included in the overall pool, he said.

Stars in teams

Eight players have already been retained by the franchises ahead of the auction. Hanuma Vihari has been retained by Amaravati Royals, Ashwin Hebbar by Vijayawada SunShiners, and Shaik Rasheed by Royals of Rayalaseema. Tungabhadra Warriors have retained Ch Stephen and K.V. Sasikanth, while Simhadri Vizag Lions have kept Ricky Bhui. Kakinada Kings have retained K.S. Bharat, and Bhimavaram Bulls have held on to K. Nitish Kumar Reddy. Among the marquee players still available for bidding are Pyla Avinash, P.V. Satyanarayana Raju, and T. Vijay, he said.

Mr. Sathish Babu reiterated the ACA’s commitment to transparency, professionalism, and honing talent. He revealed plans to set up fan parks in selected cities to strengthen local engagement.

IPL scouts

Highlighting the broader vision of the tournament, Mr. Ranga Rao said the APL aims to identify, nurture, and promote local talent to help them progress to the national level. He confirmed that IPL scouts will be invited again this year, offering players an opportunity to impress and potentially be picked up by IPL franchises.

Meanwhile, APL Council members confirmed that discussions are on with multiple broadcasters regarding the live telecast of the matches.