GUWAHATI, July 18: The stage is set for a landmark moment in Assam cricket as the inaugural Assam Premier League (APL) players' auction will be held at the 91 Yards Club inside the ACA Stadium on Sunday. A total of 275 cricketers will go under the hammer as the eight franchises begin assembling their squads for the state's first-ever franchise-based T20 league. The auction will commence at 10 am in the presence of franchise owners, officials and head coaches, and is expected to continue until the afternoon. Renowned auctioneer Charu Sharma will conduct the proceedings. Each franchise has been allotted a purse of Rs 50 lakh to build a squad of up to 20 players. The player pool has been divided into four categories — Marquee, Pool A, Pool B and Pool C. The marquee list features several of Assam's top domestic cricketers. Among the batting all-rounders are Denish Das, Sibsankar Roy, Sumit Kashyap, Swarupam Purkayastha and Jitumoni Kalita. The pace and bowling department is headlined by Mrinmoy Dutta, Mukhtar Hussain, Avinav Choudhary, Rahul Singh, Sadak Hussain and Bhargab Pratim Lahkar. Specialist batters Saahil Jain, Pradyun Saikia and Saurav Mousum Dihingia also figure in the marquee category, while Abdul Ajij Kuraishi, Akash Sengupta and Ayushman Malakar are listed as bowling all-rounders. Wicketkeepers Sumit Ghadigaonkar, Rohit Sen and Ruhinandan Pegu complete the marquee roster. It is expected that the auction will begin with the marquee players. Expressing confidence ahead of the auction, Assam Cricket Association president Taranga Gogoi said the event would mark the beginning of a new chapter in the state's cricketing journey. "On Sunday, 275 state cricketers will discover where their journey in the Assam Premier League begins. The eight franchises have done their homework, and the marquee players are expected to set the tone for an exciting auction. I anticipate spirited bidding throughout the day," Gogoi said. JioHotsar will provide live updates from the Assam Premier League player auction throughout the day.