The much-awaited decision from the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is finally here. The AGM in its 89th Annual General Meeting at Ahmedabad has approved the inclusion of two new teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, December 24. The decision, which has been agreed in principle, will see the IPL now having 10 teams participating in the league from the 2022 season. The IPL Governing Council has been asked to start working out the details which will set the base for the inclusion of the two new teams in the IPL.
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IPL 2020: Two new teams, a mega auction
There has been plenty of speculation right since IPL 2020 got underway. People were waiting with bated breath to know how and when will two new teams are added to the IPL. People were expecting that a new team will be added in the 2021 season itself. But with the BCCI’s AGM approving the addition of two teams in IPL 2022, the buzz is at an all-time high.
The Ahmedabad franchise seems to be one of the teams which will be entering the fray in IPL 2022. It is widely reported that the BCCI top brass wants the Ahmedabad venue to be finalized as one of the hosts for IPL. If reports are to believed then there will certainly be the addition of teams from Lucknow/Kanpur, Pune once the Ahmedabad franchise eases into the league. It is widely believed that the major contenders for the 9th and the 10th IPL team will be the Adani Group, headed by Gautam Adani, and RPSG owned by Sanjeev Goenka.
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Who will be the owners and what will be the venues?
Adani’s love for cricket has been widely documented. Now with the establishment of the world’s biggest cricketing stadium at Ahmedabad, their interest has multiplied tenfold. The gate receipts received from such a large stadium is sure to fill the coffers of any franchisee. Any franchisee looking to build Ahmedabad stadium as its base will be served well.
While Sanjeev Goenka, who earlier bought the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) franchisee in 2016 and 2017, is more than willing to pitch in his best to buy a team in the IPL. Mohanlal, who made waves with his presence in the IPL final 2020 held in Dubai, is also rumored to be one of the contenders to buy a franchisee. It will be interesting to see who emerges victorious in buying a team in the lucrative league.
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Which other teams will be looking forward to a mega auction?
The BCCI will soon officially announce how and when the process of the tender to procure the teams will kickstart. Once the teams are finalized the mega auction will soon happen. As there will be a mega auction for IPL 2022, it is pretty much clear that there won’t be any major auction happening for IPL 2021.
The mega auction for IPL 2022 will not just help the new franchisees build their team but also will be beneficial for teams like Chennai Super Kings who will be looking to overhaul their squad heading into IPL 2022. Even teams like Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be happy with the mega auction.
10 teams, 76 matches, mega auctions, we can’t wait for IPL 2022 to begin!
