5 cities that might get a franchise in IPL 2022
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IPL
The annual sporting extravaganza, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been taking place over the course of the last 14 years. The most popular league in the world, the IPL has enjoyed tremendous support and profits thanks in large to the quality of cricket on the field and the immense fan-following.
The 2021 edition of the tournament had to meet a premature end (at least for now) as it had to be suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic breaching the teams’ bio-bubbles. With more than 5 cases being reported among personnel inside the bubbles, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no choice but to suspend the event. They now plan to hold the remainder of IPL 2021 in September.
Although all the focus will be on getting IPL 2021 done, the 2022 season is also bound to loom on BCCI’s minds. This is because a lot of plans have been made with regard to the same such as the addition of two new teams and having a mega auction. If the plan materializes, these are the five cities which will be top contenders to get a franchise.
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad is most likely to be one of the two franchise which might get added to the IPL. This is largely due to the fact that the Narendra Modi Stadium in the city is the largest in the whole country with a seating capacity of 1,32,000 and it would only be right to have a franchise based in the stadium so that matches can be conducted.
The stadium was also scheduled to host a few matches in IPL 2021 (which it did) including the playoffs and finals. However, the tournament’s suspension meant not a lot of matches took place in the venue.
Pune
The city of Pune has already had two franchises to its name in the form of Pune Warriors India and the Rising Pune Supergiants, both of which are defunct now. However, there is a good chance that a franchise based in the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune comes up.
It is noteworthy that the stadium is one of the top international stadiums in the world and it also hosted the recent ODI series between India and England in bio-bubbles in a perfect manner.
Lucknow
Lucknow has a good chance of having a new franchise in its name as well. This is because Lucknow has an exemplary stadium, the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium where the Indian women’s team played against the South Africans recently.
The seating capacity is 50,000 and Lucknow has already hosted various international matches. Lucknow is a large and important city in India and hence, there is every chance that a franchise comes up.
Indore
Indore is the cleanest city in India and also the largest metropolitan city in Central India. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the city gets a franchise in its name. Further, the Holkar Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in India where plenty of famous matches have taken place.
Bringing in a franchise in Indore’s name could thus be a good move due to all the factors pointing in favour of the city, right from cleanliness to capacity to historical importance.
Kochi
Although Kochi will most definitely not be a frontrunner to get introduced as a franchise, there is a chance that the BCCI could consider bringing it back. The Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise was a short-lived one that lasted for all of one year, despite boasting of some exciting talent and fan-following.
There is a humongous fan base for cricket in Kerala and the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium is a well-known venue, meaning that the BCCI could consider having Kochi as one of the franchises in IPL 2022.
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Nevin Clinton
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