Auction Rules and Squad Composition
Exactly how squads, budgets, bidding and compliance work in a CAL local tournament auction.
01 How teams Join
Local tournaments are invite-only. The organizer decides who gets in.
- Invite Only: Teams join a tournament through an invite link or invite code shared by the organizer.
- Request to Join: Open the link, sign in or register, and request your team. The organizer reviews each request.
- Organizer Approval: Only approved teams can take part in the auction. Pending requests count towards the team limit.
- Team Limit: The organizer sets the team limit, from 2 to 30. Once the league is full, no more teams can join.
- Hidden Leagues: An organizer can hide a league from public view. Its invite link or code is then the only way in.
1
Get the invite
The organizer shares an invite link or code, usually over WhatsApp.
2
Request to join
Open the link, sign in or register, and request your team. Pending requests count towards the team limit.
3
Organizer approves
Only approved teams can bid. The organizer sets the team limit, from 2 to 30.
Hidden leagues stay out of public view.The invite link or code is then the only way in.
02 Your Player Pool
Every player carries ratings, a role and the details your room needs.
- Organizer-Built Player List: The organizer creates the tournament player list using the Local Tournament template.
- Player Ratings: Each player has a Batting Rating and Bowling Rating from 1 to 10, displayed in the auction room to help teams compare players.
- Player Roles: Players can be assigned one of six roles: Batter, Wicket-Keeper, All-Rounder, Batting All-Rounder, Bowling All-Rounder or Bowler.
- Player Details: The organizer can add additional player information, including batting hand, bowling hand, bowling style, age, location, photo and profile link.
- Base Price: The organizer sets each player’s base price and base price unit before the auction.
- Player Self-Registration: The organizer can allow players to register through a player invite link. Each registration requires organizer approval before the player is added to the list. The organizer can also display a registration fee, UPI ID and payment QR code if required.
1-10Batting RatingSet for every player.
1-10Bowling RatingSet for every player.
6Player rolesBatter, WK, AR, Bowler, Batting AR and Bowling AR.
Opt-inSelf-registrationPlayers sign up through an invite link, with organizer approval.
What each player carries
Everything a team needs to compare players, on one card.
Roles
BatterWicket-KeeperAll-RounderBowlerBatting ARBowling AR
Details
Batting handBowling handBowling styleAgeLocationPhotoProfile link
03 Squad Composition
The organizer sets the squad size and budget. There are no role or player caps.
- Organizer-Defined Rules: The organizer defines the team budget and squad size for the league. CAL defaults are provided as a starting point and can be customized.
- Budget & Unit: The team budget can be set in Points, Thousands (K), Lakhs (L) or Crores (Cr). Organizers can also assign a different budget to individual teams.
- Squad Size: The organizer can require every team to have the same number of players, or set a minimum and maximum squad size to allow teams to vary in size.
- No Role or Player Caps: Local Tournament leagues have no role minimums, Indian or overseas player caps, or combination rules. Teams can build their squads with any combination of players.
- Icon Player, Manager & Owner: The organizer can add one Icon Player, one Manager and one Owner to each team at no cost. These occupy squad spots but do not require bidding and can be added before or during the auction.
- Player Trades: The organizer can swap players between two teams. Players retain their original purchase prices after a trade.
- Short Squads: If a team cannot complete its squad through the auction, the organizer can add a player directly to that team.
- Locked Once Auction Starts: Once the auction begins, the budget, squad size and bid increments are locked. All teams compete under the same rules for the remainder of the auction.
2-30Teams per leagueSet by the organizer. Once full, no more teams can join.
FlexiblePlayers per squadAn exact number for every team, or a minimum and a maximum.
OpenSquad rulesNo role minimums, overseas caps or combination rules.
2000Budget per teamDefault 2000, in points, K, L or Cr. Can also be set per team.
Icon Player, Manager and Owner
Special squad spots the organizer fills at no cost.
1 of each per team
Icon PlayerAdded at no cost
ManagerAdded at no cost
OwnerAdded at no cost
They fill a squad spot and skip the bidding. They can be added before or during the auction.
Automatic Squad Limits: The system automatically blocks bids that go above your Max Bid/Player or that you have no open squad spot for. Bidding closes once you have a full squad or your budget is fully used.
04 Auction Mechanics
How players are grouped, the order they come up in, and how bidding works.
- Demo Players: Every auction opens with four practice players: Demo Batter, Demo WK, Demo AR and Demo Bowler, in that order. Use them to try the bidding screen before the real players come up. Bids on demo players are practice only. They never change a purse, a squad, the results or the points, and they cannot be removed.
- Demo Auction: Every organizer can create one free Demo Auction to learn the system. It is instant, needs no approval or payment, and runs with 2 teams of 11 players using practice players. Only you can see it, and you can have one at a time: delete it from its console to start a fresh one.
- Organizer-Defined Player List: The organizer creates the player list and defines each player’s category, base price, and base price unit.
- Base Price Sets: A set groups players with the same base price. The organizer defines the Rotation Sequence, including the order of the sets and how many players are drawn at each step.
- Final Set: The organizer can designate one step as the Final Set, which automatically includes all remaining players from that base price group.
- Players Outside the Rotation: Players not selected by the Rotation Sequence remain in the unsold pool and can only enter the auction through Final Round, Nominations.
- Final Round – Nominations: Teams that are short of a full squad after the main rotation can nominate up to 5 players from the remaining unsold pool for the final auction round.
- Nomination Window & Rounds: Nominations open for a fixed period, 5 minutes by default. If multiple teams nominate the same player, that player is auctioned only once. Nominated players are auctioned by higher base-price sets first, with players randomized within each set. If teams remain short of a full squad, a further nomination round can open with up to 3 nominations per team.
- Bidding Increments: The organizer can set either a flat bid increment or up to five step-up tiers, where the increment increases with the current bid. Online bids must follow the configured increments. In offline auctions, the organizer records the actual winning price. With a flat increment, the winning price is not restricted to the configured steps, while step-up tiers continue to apply.
- Automatic Max Bid: Max Bid/Player is calculated live based on your available budget and remaining squad spots. Bids that exceed your maximum are automatically blocked.
Your rotation sequence Example
The organizer orders the sets and decides how many players each step draws.
100×15
80×15
100×10
80×30
A set is a base priceOrder and counts are yoursThe last step is the Final Set
01
Sets are base prices
A set is a group of players who share a base price in the organizer’s own player list.
10080Final
02
Final Round Nominations
Teams still short of a full squad can nominate up to 5 players from the remaining unsold pool.
03
Your Own Player List
The organizer sets each player’s category, base price, and base price unit.
Your players, your prices
04
Bidding Increments Online
A flat increment, or up to five step-up tiers that grow with the bid.
+20+50+100Example tiers
05
Max Bid
Max Bid/Player updates live, and reserves enough budget for your remaining slots.
Max bidReserved for open slots
Demo players are practice only: they never affect your purse or squad.
Try a free Demo Auction first: it is private, instant and fixed at 2 teams.
05 Live Bidding
How the auction runs, online or in the room.
- Bid Timer: Each player has a countdown. Bidding stays open for 12 seconds, followed by Any Further Bids? for 10 seconds and Final Call for 10 seconds. If no new bid is received, the player is sold to the highest bidder.
- Every Bid Restarts the Countdown: Each new bid restarts the countdown. Once Any Further Bids? appears, the timer does not return to 12 seconds. After Final Call appears, every new bid restarts a 10-second Final Call.
- No Bids, No Sale: If no bid is placed before the countdown ends, the player goes unsold and returns to the unsold pool.
- Custom Bids: You can enter your own amount using the Custom Bid box instead of the Raise Bid button. The bid must be at least the next valid bid, within your Max Bid/Player, and follow the league’s configured bid increment. Bid Range shows the lowest and highest valid amounts. Out of Range appears when the next valid bid exceeds your maximum.
- First Bid Can Be Higher: The first bid can be any valid amount from the base price upward. It does not have to start at the base price.
- Raising Your Own Bid: The Raise Bid button is unavailable while you are the highest bidder. However, you can use a Custom Bid to increase your own bid.
- Simultaneous Bids: If two bids are submitted at the same time, the first bid successfully registered by the system stands. The other team will be asked to refresh and place another bid.
- Organizer Controls: The organizer controls the auction pace and can end the auction early. When the auction is ended, bidding closes immediately. The organizer can resume the auction when ready.
Bid timer
Each player has a countdown.
Every new bid restarts the countdown.
After Final Call appears, every new bid restarts a 10-second Final Call.
No bids before the timer ends: the player goes unsold.
Custom bid
Type your own amount instead of raising one step.
A valid bid stepFrom the next valid bidUp to your Max Bid/Player
Useful for accurate and planned bid amounts.
- Bid in the Room: The organizer conducts the auction live, with teams bidding in person. There is no online timer or bidding screen.
- Organizer or Co-ordinator Records the Sale: The organizer or co-ordinator records the winning team and final price. Once recorded, the sale is final.
- Same Eligibility Checks: The winning bid must meet the player’s base price and the team’s Max Bid/Player, and the team must have an open squad spot.
- Bid Steps: With a flat bid increment, in-room bids are not restricted to the configured increment, and the organizer records the actual winning price. With step-up tiers, the winning price must follow the valid step for the applicable tier.
- No Bids, No Sale: If no team bids for a player, the player goes unsold and returns to the unsold pool.
- Organizer Controls the Pace: The organizer can start, pause and resume the auction at any time, allowing the session to run at the desired pace.
Bid in the room
The organizer conducts the auction live, with teams bidding in person. There is no online timer or bidding screen.
Organizer records the sale
The organizer or co-ordinator records the winning team and final price. Once recorded, the sale is final.
Same eligibility checks
The winning bid must meet the player’s base price and the team’s Max Bid/Player. The team must have an open squad spot.
The organizer controls the pace.Start, pause and resume the auction at any time. Step-up tiers still apply to the final price.
06 No auction? Try Auto-Assign
Form balanced teams instantly from your player ratings.
- Optional Alternative: Instead of running an auction, the organizer can use Auto-Assign to form teams automatically.
- Rating-Based Balance: Auto-Assign uses each player’s Batting and Bowling Ratings to create teams that are as balanced as possible overall, as well as in batting and bowling strength. Small differences between teams are expected.
- No Purse or Bidding: Budgets, base prices and bids do not apply. Teams are formed directly from the player list.
- Re-Run for a Different Split: The organizer can clear the current teams and run Auto-Assign again. When multiple equally balanced combinations are available, the system selects one at random, so each run can produce a different split.
1
Rate your players
Give every player a Batting Rating and a Bowling Rating from 1 to 10.
2
Run Auto-Assign
Teams are formed so they match as closely as possible overall, in batting and in bowling.
3
Review and re-run
Not happy with the split? Clear the teams and run it again for a different result.
No purse, no bidding.Budgets, base prices and bids do not apply to auto-assigned squads.
These rules are being finalized
The CAL Public rules for Indian T20 League will be published here soon. Questions in the meantime? Contact us.
One last thing
This is designed to be a fun and competitive season among people who enjoy the game.
For anything not covered above, the CAL auction system and published rules will apply. Any genuine dispute or exceptional situation will be resolved by the Organizer, whose decision will be final.
Ready to Start Your CAL Journey?
Register in a few simple steps. The auction takes it from there.
Experience CAL
Adesh
Kothari
Kothari
Base Price2Cr
Leading Bidder
Titans XI
Current Bid
9.8Cr
Disclaimer
CAL is designed for fun and competitive engagement around cricket auctions. CAL does not offer or administer cash prizes, winnings, betting, or monetary rewards.