IPL Auction Game: Bid, Build and Play With Your Friends

Every auction season, cricket fans argue about one thing: I'd never have paid that much for him. AuctionRoom's IPL auction game lets you prove it. Get your friends into one room, give everyone the same purse, and bid for real IPL players one at a time. Then keep playing: your squad will earn fantasy points from actual IPL 2027 matches, so your auction calls get tested on the field. Rooms open after the IPL 2027 auction.

Join the waitlist →

Free for up to 3 teams, ₹160 for 4 teams, then +₹40 per extra team · most auctions finish in under an hour · no app download

How the IPL auction game works

An IPL auction game on AuctionRoom has three stages: set up, auction, season.

Set up. The host opens the room wizard and works through each step: Name → Player Pool → Roster & Budget → Mid-Season Auction → Captain/VC → Top Scorers → Scoring Start. That covers the tournament, a purse per team, a maximum squad size and any players to remove from the pool. Optional settings include a starting XI with a bench (Top Scorers) and a mid-season auction.

Auction. Players come up one at a time in random order, each at a base price set by the tournament. The player banner shows the player's team, role, nationality and fantasy history, so you're not bidding blind. Nobody can bid more than they have left, and a team that fills its squad is locked. Unsold players come back at the end for a re-auction at a lower base price, but only the ones a manager nominates.

Season. Each manager names a Captain (2× points) and Vice-Captain (1.5× points). The multipliers apply only to Starting XI players, and depending on the room's settings, you may be able to change your Captain or Vice-Captain during the season. Points then come in automatically as real IPL matches are played. The leaderboard ranks teams on effective points: starters only, with multipliers applied. Every squad and every match-by-match breakdown is visible to the whole group, so there's no hiding a bad buy.

Play the IPL auction with friends: Verbal bidding

IPL rooms use Verbal bidding. It's best for a watch party, hostel room or office, or with everyone on a call. Everyone calls out bids and the host records each sale with one tap. If a bid was misheard, the host can undo the last sale.

Joining takes seconds. Share the room code or tap the WhatsApp button. Friends sign in and join with the code from their own phones.

Features that make it feel like the real auction

• Equal purse, hard limits. Same budget for everyone, no overspending and a hard squad cap. You have to plan, not just splurge.
• Private target list. Star players in the Auction Preparation panel. Only you see your list.
• Base prices and re-auction. It follows the familiar first round of bidding, then the unsold pool comes back cheaper.
• "Last 4 Sold" feed. Track who bought whom, and at what price, as it happens.
• Top Scorers. An optional starting XI, so only your best performers count.
• Captain and Vice-Captain multipliers. 2× and 1.5× on the Starting XI players you trust most, and depending on the room's settings, you may be able to change them during the season.
• Season-long scoring and leaderboard. Points update as real matches are played. See the scoring system and rules.
• Snake draft mode. Prefer picks to bidding? Teams pick in turns in a snake order (1→N, then N→1).

How to start an IPL auction game in 4 steps

Rooms open after the IPL 2027 auction. Once they're live, it takes four steps:

1. Sign in and open the room wizard. Choose the IPL tournament.
2. Set the rules. Choose your purse per team, squad size and optional Top Scorers.
3. Invite your group. Share the code or link on WhatsApp. Friends sign in and join with the code. You need at least two teams to start.
4. Start the auction. Only the host can start it. Everyone waits in a live lobby until you do.

Most rooms finish their auction in under an hour. Bigger rooms take longer.

IPL auction game vs IPL auction simulator

Search "IPL auction" and you'll find two broad kinds of tools. An auction simulator is generally built for a quick run-through: you test how far a purse stretches, and the session usually ends when the auction does. An auction game is built for a group. On AuctionRoom, your friends each run a team, bid by Verbal bidding under house rules the host sets (purse, squad size, Top Scorers), and then follow their squads' real fantasy points on a shared leaderboard all season.

A simulator is great for a quick solo test of how far a purse can stretch. If you want the rivalry, the banter and a reason to check the scorecard every match night, play the game.

Why rooms open after the IPL 2027 auction

An IPL auction game is only as good as its player pool. If you bid before the real auction, half your targets could end up at a franchise you didn't expect, or not at an IPL franchise at all. Waiting until the real auction is done means every player in your room has a confirmed team for the season, and every point your squad scores comes from a player who's actually playing.

It also makes for a better evening. You'll have just watched the franchises bid, so everyone turns up with opinions: who was overpriced, who was a steal, which team now looks thin in the middle order. Your room is where those opinions get tested.

Who plays the IPL auction game

• Friends' groups and family WhatsApp groups. The classic case: one host, a handful of managers, and a season of banter on the leaderboard.
• Office teams. A lunch-break auction is a good way to get the whole floor talking. Hosting is free for up to 3 teams, ₹160 for 4 teams, then +₹40 per extra team.
• College hostels and clubs. Verbal bidding works best when everyone's in one room shouting over each other.
• Cricket obsessives. If you track base prices and squad gaps every year, this is your chance to show you'd have done it better.

Plan your IPL auction night

A little prep makes the night run smoother:

1. Pick your host. The host records each sale, so choose someone fair and quick on the phone.
2. Agree on house rules early. Squad size, purse and whether Top Scorers is on are set in the wizard. Settle how loudly people are allowed to argue before the night starts.
3. Do your homework. Once rooms open, star your targets in the Auction Preparation panel so you know who you're chasing.
4. Block out the time. Most rooms finish their auction in under an hour. Bigger rooms take longer.

Tips to win your IPL auction game

• Keep budget for the second half. Players come up in random order, so value can turn up late.
• Know your Captain before you bid. A consistent all-rounder at 2× usually beats a boom-or-bust batter.
• Use the re-auction. Nominate the overlooked players you starred. They're cheaper the second time.
• Read the room. If two rivals have spent big on bowlers, the next batters could go cheaply.

Your auction table is waiting

Rooms open after the IPL 2027 auction. Join the waitlist and you'll be first in when they do. Then set the purse, send the code to your group, and find out who really knows how to build an IPL squad.

Join the waitlist →

More ways to play: WPL auction game · IPL 14-0 game · Rules · AuctionRoom home