Like all the bidders, it's restricted by the FCC from saying much about the auction ahead of time.

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England players were not involved in the auction last year because of international commitments and will be restricted to half this year's tournament because of the home Test series against the West Indies in April and May.

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But international auction firms like Sotheby's and Christie's until now have been restricted from holding sales within China.

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Teams are restricted to 10 foreign players each and most already have seven or eight on their roster following last year's auction.

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