'Silent Tiebreaker' bid in IPL auction: All you need to know about the lesser-known rule existing since 2010

Predictions and analysis are on as the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction is right around the corner. The two-day bidding event will take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. A total of 590 players – 370 Indians and 220 overseas – will go under the hammer and it would be interesting to see how the final squads would look like.

Now, the drill of the bidding event seems pretty simple. Each team was allotted a purse of INR 90 crore. However, the sides will step into the auction with different amounts, depending upon the players they picked in retentions and draft. As per the norms, the auctioneer will take the player’s name and the franchise with the highest bid will acquire his services.

However, what would happen if a team spends its entire available amount to get a player on board? Though such a situation hasn’t come in the lucrative competition as yet, the IPL management has a specific rule for this situation, which is called ‘Silent Tiebreaker’.

Kieron Pollard, Ravindra Jadeja brought the  Silent Tiebreaker in action

Many might not to be aware but this rule has existed since 2010 and has also been used but in different situations. Back then, there used to be limits on the maximum bids allowed for players. Two of the prolific all-rounders in the league’s history, Kieron Pollard and Ravindra Jadeja have been bought using this rule.

As there’s no limit in the bidding now, the rule has been altered. The ‘Silent Tiebreaker’ will now come into action when one team’s ‘final bid’ for a player has been matched by another franchise but they don’t have any money left in the purse. Despite not having any money to spend to get the player with a higher bid, the franchises will be given the opportunity to sign the player with a ‘Silent Tiebreaker’ bid.

In this case, both franchises, who were involved in signing the player, will be required to submit a written bid stating the amount that they are ready to pay for the player. The team with the higher amount will get to sign the cricketer. Notably, there’s no limit to the bid the franchises can submit in the ‘Silent Tiebreaker’.

However, the extra money, which the franchises would be ready to pay out of their purse limit, will go to the IPL and not to the player. This situation can only arise in the latter stage of the auction.