Quick answer
For most Indian local, corporate and league tournaments, the right cricket auction app is the one that tracks every team's purse automatically, lets owners bid from their own phones, shows the auction on a projector or stream, and gives you clean squad lists afterwards, at a price that fits your team count.
CrickHunt is a strong fit when you want the auction plus registration, overlays and tournament records in one place (free for 2 teams, ₹1,500 to ₹6,000 per auction for 4 to 30 teams). AuctionBase has the lowest listed paid price for small events, and PlayBid suits organisers who want everything in the browser with no app install.
Best Cricket Auction Apps in India in 2026
There are dozens of "auction" apps on the Play Store. Most are abandoned side projects or generic bidding tools. We only kept platforms that run a real player auction for cricket (teams, purses, live bids, sold and unsold players) and that are clearly aimed at Indian organisers. Each one is labelled by the job it does best, not by a ranking number.
CrickHunt Our pick
Owner logins, projector and YouTube overlays, registration with entry fees, exports and season records.
PlayBid
Owners bid from a mobile browser. Registration with UPI fees and a projector mode.
AuctionBase
Free for 4 teams and 60 players; ₹999 per tournament for up to 8 teams.
SquadXpro
Cricket, football, kabaddi and more, with remote bidding links and a countdown timer.
CrickPro Auction
One operator runs bids from a phone; TV and transparent overlays for OBS or vMix.
CricSmart Auction
Owners bid through WhatsApp links; right-to-match cards and a post-auction trading window.
CricAuction
Set up teams and players on the phone, run live bids, share a web link to watch.
Quick Comparison Table
CrickHunt is highlighted as our pick. "Not listed" means the provider's public pages did not mention it when we checked, not that the feature is definitely missing.
| Platform | Best for | Live auction | Remote bidding | Team purse | Player registration | Live display | Reports | Starting price* | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrickHunt Our pick | Auction + tournament in one place | Yes | Yes, owner login + apps | Yes, category caps | Yes, with online fee | Projector + YouTube overlay | PDF, Excel, bid history | ₹1,500 / auction (4 teams) | Up to 2 teams; school/college on request |
| PlayBid | No-install, browser auctions | Yes | Yes, mobile browser | Yes | Yes, with UPI | Projector + OBS scoreboard | PDF, Excel | ₹1,499 / tournament | Demo (mock auction) |
| AuctionBase | Small events on a budget | Yes | Not listed | Verify | Yes (basic on free) | Not listed | Analytics on paid plans | ₹999 / tournament (8 teams) | Up to 4 teams, 60 players |
| SquadXpro | Multi-sport leagues | Yes | Yes, via link | Yes | Yes, with approval | YouTube overlay, timer | Multi-format export | Tiers listed; verify | Trial up to 4 teams |
| CrickPro Auction | Operator-run, broadcast-first | Yes | Not listed | Yes, guardrails | Not listed | TV + OBS/vMix overlay | Not listed | Not publicly listed | Verify with provider |
| CricSmart Auction | WhatsApp-first communities | Yes | Yes, WhatsApp links | Yes | Yes | OBS view for YouTube | Analytics | Verify with provider | Free trial (per listing) |
| CricAuction | Simple phone-run auctions | Yes | Not clear | Not listed | Organiser adds players | Shareable web view | Not listed | ₹1,999 in-app (4 teams) | Not listed |
*Lowest publicly listed paid price, checked 8 October 2026. GST treatment is not stated on most pricing pages. Pricing/features should be verified on the provider's current website before purchase.
Which one should you choose?
Start free. CrickHunt (2 teams), AuctionBase (4 teams) and SquadXpro's trial (4 teams) cover this without paying.
Remote bidding and purse tracking matter most here. Compare CrickHunt, PlayBid and AuctionBase at your exact team count.
Prioritise display, overlays, exports and support. CrickHunt and CrickPro are built around the broadcast side; ask for a demo.
What Is a Cricket Auction App?
A cricket auction app runs an IPL-style player auction for your tournament. You load the player pool, give every team a fixed purse, and team owners bid on players one lot at a time. The software records each bid, blocks bids a team can't afford, marks players sold or unsold, and builds the squads as you go.
The better ones also handle the work around the auction: player registration, a big-screen display for the venue, a stream overlay, and the final squad sheets that your fixtures and scoring depend on. If you want a step-by-step walk-through, our guide on how online cricket player auctions work covers the mechanics. This article is about choosing the tool.
"We still use Excel. Do we really need software?"
Not always. A four-team auction among friends can run on a spreadsheet and a WhatsApp group. Excel starts to hurt when you have six or more teams, a hundred-odd players, owners who aren't in the room, and a crowd watching a projector. That's where one wrong formula or a missed bid turns into a two-hour argument. The real question isn't "software or Excel" but "how much can we afford to get wrong on auction night?"
What Should a Cricket Auction App Include?
We've already written a full list of features to look for in cricket auction software. Here we've framed the essentials as the questions organisers actually ask us before they pick a tool.
Can team owners bid from their phones?
Look for owner logins, not just a "viewer" link. Check whether it needs an app install or works in the browser.
What if two teams bid at the same time?
The app should accept one bid at the current price and reject or queue the other. Test this with two phones before you pay.
Does the purse update automatically?
It should deduct on "sold", block over-budget bids and respect category caps if you use them.
Can players register themselves?
A shared form with photo, role and fee payment saves days of data entry and phone calls.
What happens to unsold players?
You want an unsold pool you can reopen later, ideally at a different base price.
Can we show it on a projector or stream?
A full-screen display view for the hall and an overlay link for OBS or YouTube are now common.
Can sponsors appear on screen?
Sponsor slots on the display and stream help you recover the software cost, and then some.
What happens after the auction?
Squad lists, purse summaries and bid history should export in one click, and ideally feed fixtures and scoring.
Detailed Comparison of the Best Apps
Every platform below gets the same treatment: what it's for, what it costs, how the auction runs, and where it falls short. Facts come from each provider's own public pages or official app listing, checked on 8 October 2026.
CrickHunt
Key strengths
- Category-wise purse caps (marquee, A, B, icon) enforced live
- Unsold pool you can reopen with one tap
- MaxView projector mode and a YouTube overlay with sponsor slots
- Exports: squads, purses, player details, bid history, printable PDFs
Potential limitations
- Match scoring is still labelled Beta
- The pricing page doesn't say whether GST is included
- Above 30 teams you need an Enterprise quote
Important features: owner logins, Android and iOS apps, a registration link with photo upload and online entry fee, WhatsApp notifications for registration and sold alerts, four dashboard themes and four overlay themes you can switch mid-auction, and a call option to reach a remote owner from the auction screen.
CrickHunt stands out when the auction is one part of a bigger job. Players register through a shared link, the auction runs on the venue screen and on YouTube at the same time, and the squads carry forward into the tournament and season records. Every plan includes unlimited players and unlimited sponsor and custom banners, which matters if you sell screen space to local businesses.
It's less necessary for a one-off four-team game among friends, where the free tier or even a spreadsheet will do. For 8 to 17 teams, the Platinum (₹3,000, up to 11 teams) and Diamond (₹4,500, up to 17 teams) plans are where most local and corporate organisers will land. See current CrickHunt pricing for the latest figures.
Disclosure: this guide is published by CrickHunt. We've held our own product to the same standard as the others: verified facts only, with limitations listed.
PlayBid
Key strengths
- Nothing to install for owners
- Registration portal with custom forms and UPI entry fees
- Projector/TV mode and a scoreboard overlay for OBS
- One-click PDF or Excel squad and budget reports
Potential limitations
- Team limits per plan are not listed
- Unsold-player handling isn't described
- Match scoring isn't mentioned
PlayBid is a tidy choice for a single tournament where owners are spread out and you don't want to talk anyone through an app install. The free demo is a practice auction, not a free live tournament, so budget for the paid plan. Note the 45-day validity on the single-tournament plan if your registration window is long.
AuctionBase
Key strengths
- Clear team and player limits on each plan
- Genuine free tier for 4 teams
- Call, email and WhatsApp support on paid plans
Potential limitations
- Remote bidding, overlays and scoring aren't mentioned on the pricing page
- Purse tracking is referenced but not described in detail
On paper, AuctionBase is the cheapest way to run an 8-team auction among the tools we checked. The trade-off is less public detail on owner bidding and the display side, so ask for a demo that shows a remote owner placing a bid and a projector view before you commit.
SquadXpro
Key strengths
- Six sports supported
- Self-registration with payment proof and one-click approval
- YouTube overlay and an owners-online counter
Potential limitations
- Pricing page is inconsistent (tiers vs "₹100 per team")
- Unsold handling isn't described
If your club runs a cricket league in winter and a kabaddi or football league later, one tool for both is convenient. Get the exact price for your team count in writing, because the public pricing doesn't map cleanly to team numbers.
CrickPro Auction
Key strengths
- Sets and multiple rounds; unsold players re-pooled
- Overseas caps, base prices and bid slabs
- TV mode and a transparent overlay for OBS or vMix
- Won squads sync to CrickPro scoring and standings
Potential limitations
- Remote owner bidding isn't described
- Registration and exports aren't described on the auction page
CrickPro's approach suits a hall auction where owners raise paddles and an operator taps bids in. The broadcast options are a strong point. If your owners won't be in the room, confirm how they'd take part.
CricSmart Auction
Key strengths
- Right-to-match cards and a 48-hour trading window after the auction
- Player pools imported from Excel
- OBS-ready view for YouTube
Potential limitations
- Our information comes from a software directory, not the vendor's own site
- No public price list
The post-auction trading window and RTM cards are unusual at this level and could appeal to leagues that copy IPL rules closely. Ask the vendor directly for current pricing and a live demo.
CricAuction
Key strengths
- Simple setup of teams, players and bidding values
- Shareable live view on the web
- Push notifications for tournament updates
Potential limitations
- Registration forms, overlays and exports aren't described in the listing
- Highest listed price at small team counts among the apps with public prices
CricAuction is fine for a straightforward auction run by one person. For larger events with remote owners and a stream, you'll likely want one of the fuller tools above.
Cricket Auction App Pricing in India (2026)
Auction apps in India almost never charge monthly fees for a single event. You'll mostly see one of these five models:
What pushes the price up: more teams (the biggest factor), larger player pools on capped plans, remote owner bidding, a professional projector display, streaming overlays, sponsor branding, export and report options, auction-day phone support, and tournament management or scoring bundled in.
What would it cost for your team count?
Pick the number of teams. We show the lowest publicly listed plan that covers it.
CrickHunt plans include unlimited players and unlimited sponsor and custom banners. Prices checked 8 October 2026; GST not stated on most pages. Pricing/features should be verified on the provider's current website before purchase.
Publicly listed prices vs "contact provider"
| Platform | Status | Free | Paid plans (as listed) | Billing unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrickHunt Our pick | Publicly listed | Up to 2 teams | ₹1,500 (4) · ₹2,000 (7) · ₹3,000 (11) · ₹4,500 (17) · ₹6,000 (30) · Enterprise: contact | Per auction |
| PlayBid | Publicly listed | Mock auction | ₹1,499 single tournament · ₹7,000 up to 5 auctions | Per tournament / pack |
| AuctionBase | Publicly listed | Up to 4 teams | ₹999 (8) · ₹1,999 (20) | Per tournament |
| SquadXpro | Listed, unclear | Trial, 4 teams | ₹400 to ₹3,000 tiers; team mapping not stated | Verify |
| CricAuction | Listed in app store | Not listed | ₹1,999 (4) to ₹9,099 (30) | In-app purchase |
| CrickPro Auction | Contact provider | Verify | Not publicly listed | Verify |
| CricSmart Auction | Contact provider | Trial (per listing) | Not publicly listed | Verify |
Which App Is Best for Different Tournament Types?
Best cricket auction app for local tournaments
Local tournaments in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan often mean 8 to 12 teams, a village or society ground, and a crowd that wants to see the auction on a big screen. You need purse tracking, a projector view and a printable squad list for the umpires. CrickHunt and PlayBid both cover the display side; AuctionBase is the budget pick if a projector view isn't essential.
Best cricket auction app for box cricket
Turf and box cricket leagues, like the weekend ones in Surat or Ahmedabad, are usually small: 4 to 8 teams with 6 to 8 players each. Speed matters more than polish. Start with a free tier (CrickHunt for 2 teams, AuctionBase or SquadXpro for 4) and only pay if you need more teams.
Best cricket auction app for corporate tournaments
Corporate leagues in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru or Hyderabad have owners in meetings, on calls or in other offices. Remote bidding through a login is non-negotiable, and a clean look matters because senior leaders are watching. Shortlist CrickHunt, PlayBid or SquadXpro, and check how each handles an owner who drops off mid-lot.
Best cricket auction app with remote bidding
Remote bidding is only useful if it is fair. Check that bids show on the main screen instantly, that the app blocks over-budget bids, and that the auctioneer can see who is online. Our guide to remote bidding for cricket auctions explains how to set it up.
Best free cricket auction app in India
"Free" means different things. CrickHunt is free up to 2 teams and offers free auctions for school and college tournaments on request. AuctionBase is free for 4 teams and 60 players. SquadXpro has a 4-team trial. PlayBid's free plan is a mock practice auction only. Beyond those limits, expect to pay.
Cricket auction app for IPL-style local auctions
The workflow is the same at every level: player registration → verification → player pool → team purse setup → live bidding → sold or unsold → squad formation. Set your cricket auction rules (purse, base prices, increments) before you pick the app, so you can check it supports them.
Cricket auction software for small tournaments
Keep it simple and cheap. A free tier or a sub-₹2,000 plan is enough for most 4 to 8 team events. Don't pay for overlays you won't stream.
Cricket auction software for large leagues
With 16 to 30 teams and 300+ players, you need category caps, an unsold pool, exports, a reliable display, phone support on the day and a way to carry squads into fixtures and scoring. Ask for a reference event of a similar size.
Free vs Paid Cricket Auction Apps
A free plan is enough when
- You have 2 to 4 teams
- Everyone bids from the same room
- No stream, no sponsors on screen
- You just want to try the tool before a bigger event
Paying makes sense when
- You have 6 or more teams or 100+ players
- Owners bid remotely
- You're streaming or showing sponsors
- You need exports, support and a dispute-proof bid log
A useful test: if one sponsor banner on the auction screen pays for the plan, the paid version is effectively free.
How Much Does Cricket Auction Software Cost?
Based on publicly listed prices checked in October 2026, a paid cricket auction plan in India costs roughly ₹1,000 to ₹6,000 per event for 4 to 30 teams, with a few outliers on either side. Free tiers cover 2 to 4 teams.
For a typical 8-team tournament, listed prices were: CrickHunt ₹3,000 (Platinum, up to 11 teams, with remote bidding, overlays and exports), AuctionBase ₹999, PlayBid ₹1,499 (team limit not listed) and CricAuction ₹3,899. Use the team-count selector above to compare at other sizes, and remember to ask whether GST is extra.
How to Choose the Best Cricket Auction App for Your Tournament
Check the maximum number of teams
Plans are priced by team bands. Count teams, then add one in case a late entry joins.
Check player registration
Online form, photo upload and fee collection save days of follow-up calls.
Check live bidding
Bids should appear on every screen within a second or two.
Check remote bidding
Owner logins, not just a viewer link. Browser or app?
Check team purse automation
Automatic deduction, over-budget blocking and category caps.
Check sold and unsold management
Can you reopen the unsold pool and change base prices?
Check the live display
Projector view for the hall, overlay link for the stream.
Check reports and export
Squads, purses and bid history in PDF or Excel.
Check tournament integration
Do squads flow into fixtures, scoring and stats, or will you retype them?
Check support on auction day
Auctions run in the evening and on Sundays. Will someone pick up the phone?
Check pricing transparency
Is GST included? Is there a validity period? What happens above the team limit?
Run a test before auction day
A 15-minute mock auction with two owners on their phones catches most problems.
Before you pay, ask these 10 questions
- What is the exact price for my team count, including GST?
- How long is the plan valid?
- Can owners bid without installing an app?
- What happens if two owners bid at the same moment?
- Can I set category-wise purse limits?
- How do I bring back unsold players?
- Can I undo a wrong "sold"?
- Is there a projector view and a stream overlay link?
- What can I export after the auction?
- Who do I call if something breaks mid-auction?
Example: An 8-Team Local Cricket Auction
Here is a hypothetical tournament to show how the workflow changes once the auction moves onto software. All numbers below are illustrative.
With Excel and WhatsApp
- Players send details on WhatsApp; someone types 96 rows
- A volunteer updates purses by hand after each lot
- Two owners on a video call shout bids over each other
- Final squads are photographed from the laptop screen
With a cricket auction app
- Players register with a link; duplicates are easy to spot
- Purse deducts automatically; over-budget bids are blocked
- Remote owners bid from their phones; the projector shows every bid
- Squad sheets export the moment the last lot is sold
For a deeper look at running the night itself, read how to conduct a professional cricket player auction and our checklist on how to set up a cricket auction.
Common Mistakes When Choosing Auction Software
- Choosing on price alone. A cheaper plan without remote bidding can cost you more in arguments than you save.
- Buying the wrong team band. One late team can push you into the next tier on auction day.
- Not testing on the venue's internet. Hall Wi-Fi often fails when 200 people connect at once.
- Ignoring what happens after the auction. If squads don't export cleanly, someone retypes them at midnight.
- Trusting a feature list without a demo. "Remote bidding" can mean real owner logins or just a watch-only link.
7 Problems You Should Test Before Choosing a Cricket Auction App
1. Internet failure
Switch the auctioneer's laptop to a phone hotspot mid-lot. Does the auction resume where it stopped?
Tip: keep a backup hotspot and a printed player list.
2. Duplicate players
Register the same player twice with a slightly different spelling. Can you spot and merge them?
3. Incorrect purse calculations
Sell three players to one team, undo one, and check the purse adds back correctly.
4. Delayed bids
Have two owners bid within the same second. Which bid wins, and does the screen agree?
5. Team owner login issues
Ask an owner to log in on an old Android phone. How long does it take, and who resets a forgotten password?
6. Unsold player handling
Mark five players unsold and bring them back at a lower base price in a later round.
7. Missing post-auction records
Export squads and bid history. Would this settle a dispute a week later?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cricket auction app in India?
CrickHunt is our top pick for most Indian tournaments, because it combines the auction with registration, remote bidding, projector and YouTube overlays, exports and tournament records. AuctionBase has the lowest listed paid price for small events, and PlayBid suits browser-only bidding. Match the app to your team count, how owners will bid and whether you'll stream.
Which app is best for cricket player auctions?
The best app for player auctions is one that handles purses, categories and unsold players automatically. Among the tools we compared, CrickHunt and CrickPro Auction describe category or set rules and unsold re-pooling in the most detail. Run a short mock auction with your own player list before deciding.
Is there a free cricket auction app?
Yes, with limits. CrickHunt is free for up to 2 teams and offers free auctions for school and college tournaments on request. AuctionBase is free for up to 4 teams and 60 players, and SquadXpro has a 4-team trial. Larger tournaments generally need a paid plan.
How much does cricket auction software cost in India?
Most paid plans cost roughly ₹1,000 to ₹6,000 per event for 4 to 30 teams, based on public prices checked in October 2026. Price mainly depends on team count. Some pages don't say whether GST is included, so confirm the final amount before paying.
Can team owners bid remotely?
Yes, on several apps. CrickHunt gives owners a login on phone or laptop, PlayBid works in a mobile browser, SquadXpro uses a join link and CricSmart uses WhatsApp links. Check that remote bids show on the main screen instantly and that over-budget bids are blocked.
Can I conduct an IPL-style auction for a local cricket tournament?
Yes. Every app in this guide runs an IPL-style format: fixed purses, base prices, live bids and sold or unsold players. Decide your purse, base prices and bid increments first, then pick an app that supports those rules and your team count.
Can cricket auction apps manage team purses?
Yes. Good auction apps deduct the winning bid from the purse automatically and stop teams bidding beyond what they can afford. Some, like CrickHunt, also enforce category-wise caps. Test an "undo sold" during your trial to confirm the purse corrects itself.
Can players register themselves online?
Yes, on most fuller platforms. CrickHunt, PlayBid and SquadXpro offer registration forms where players add details and photos, and CrickHunt and PlayBid also collect entry fees online. Simpler apps expect the organiser to add players manually or import a list.
Can cricket auction software handle unsold players?
Yes, but check how. CrickHunt keeps an unsold pool you can reopen with one tap, and CrickPro re-pools unsold players into later rounds. Several other providers don't describe unsold handling publicly, so ask for a demo of this specific step.
What is the difference between a cricket auction app and tournament management software?
An auction app builds your squads; tournament management software runs everything after that, such as fixtures, scoring, points tables and stats. Some platforms, including CrickHunt and CrickPro, connect the two so squads carry forward without retyping.
Can cricket auction software display live bids on a projector?
Yes. CrickHunt (MaxView), PlayBid (projector mode) and CrickPro (TV mode) all offer a full-screen view for venue screens showing the player, current bid and purses. Test it on the actual projector, since resolution and aspect ratio vary.
Can cricket auction apps support YouTube live streaming?
Yes, usually through an overlay link added in OBS or similar software. CrickHunt offers a YouTube overlay with sponsor slots, CrickPro supports OBS and vMix, and PlayBid, SquadXpro and CricSmart mention OBS or YouTube support.
What should I check before buying cricket auction software?
Check the team limit, remote bidding, purse automation, unsold handling, display options, exports, auction-day support and the exact price including GST. Then run a 15-minute mock auction with two owners on their phones before paying.
Can small cricket tournaments use auction software?
Yes. CrickHunt is free for 2 teams and its paid plans start at ₹1,500 for 4 teams; other free tiers cover up to 4 teams. Small tournaments benefit most from automatic purses and quick squad exports, not from streaming features.
Final Verdict: Which Cricket Auction App Should You Choose?
Start from your tournament, not the app. Count the teams, decide how owners will bid, and decide whether anyone outside the hall will watch. Those three answers rule out most options.
Choose CrickHunt if Our pick
- You want the auction and tournament management together
- Owners need to bid remotely
- You want a projector display and a YouTube overlay
- You need automatic purse tracking with category caps
- Players should register and pay online
- You want squad, purse and bid-history records afterwards
- You may also use scoring and season records
Choose another platform if
- You only need the lowest-priced auction for up to 8 teams (look at AuctionBase)
- You want strictly browser-based bidding with no app (look at PlayBid)
- You run several sports under one league (look at SquadXpro)
- An operator will run every bid in the hall for a broadcast (look at CrickPro)
- Another tool has a better verified fit for your specific rules
Planning your next cricket auction?
Explore CrickHunt and compare the features, workflow and pricing against your tournament's needs.
How we compared these apps
We reviewed each provider's official website, pricing page or official app-store listing on 8 October 2026. CricSmart Auction details come from its Capterra India listing because we could not verify an official site. We did not include ratings, download counts or user reviews. Where a feature wasn't mentioned publicly, we've said so rather than guessed. Prices change often; confirm with the provider before you pay.
- CrickHunt: crickhunt.com, crickhunt.com/pricing, crickhunt.com/common/auctionlandingpage
- PlayBid: playbid.in
- AuctionBase: auctionbase.in (pricing at cricketauction.online/pricing)
- SquadXpro: squadxpro.com
- CrickPro Auction: crickpro.com/crickpro-auction
- CricSmart Auction: capterra.in listing
- CricAuction: Apple App Store listing (India)
