IPL 2023 Auction: What is tie-breaker? All you need to know about the secret bid rule

We are just a few minutes away from the IPL 2023 Auction. Over 400 players are part of the auction pool this year, with a maximum of 87 cricketers standing a chance to gain a contract from the 10 franchises.

Earlier this year, IPL fans witnessed a mega auction on February 12 and 13. The upcoming event will not be the same as the one that took place earlier this year. The biggest reason behind it is that IPL 2023 Auction is a mini auction, wherein teams have retained a majority of their players from last season.

In the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, teams had the permission to retain a maximum of four players only. Most fans know about this difference between the two auctions, but the cricket universe may not have any idea about the tiebreaker rule that is in place for the auctions.

How does a secret bid work in IPL 2023 Auction?

It is well known that the BCCI sets a maximum limit for the purse value of all 10 IPL teams for every season. In the IPL 2023 Auction, the maximum purse value is ₹95 crore, with deductions being made for the players retained before the auction.

At the auction, if the franchises exhaust their entire purse while bidding for a player, with the last amount being in a tie, then the tiebreaker comes into play. The organizers will then give a form to the teams involved in the tie, and they will have to submit a silent bid to the BCCI.

The highest bidder in the tiebreaker will sign the player. Fans should note that the amount of money from that tiebreaker bid will go to the BCCI.

Here's what the BCCI's rule states:

"The Tiebreak Bid will indicate the amount, payable in one instalment that the franchisee is prepared to pay to BCCI. The amount of the Tiebreak Bid is separate from and in addition to the amount of the Last Bid."

Chennai Super Kings had signed Ravindra Jadeja via a tiebreaker in 2012, whereas Mumbai Indians bought Kieron Pollard in 2010 through the silent bidding process.