New teams in IPL 2022: BCCI willing to play wait and watch game

New teams in IPL 2022: BCCI willing to play wait and watch game

The Indian cricket board is looking to include two new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of next year’s edition. However, the process is still in the works and will require an analysis of the market as well as feasibility, said a top BCCI office-bearer.

“We are looking to have two franchises in next year’s IPL but we will have to see the market and also assess the situation prevailing in the country. We can’t guarantee a timeline because there are a lot of things we have to consider,” said Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) treasurer Arun Dhumal on Monday.

There have been talks that Ahmedabad could host one of the franchises. However, a bidding process will have to get underway before the final decision to admit any new franchise is taken.

IPL 2022: Two new IPL teams to be auctioned in May

While the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) hasn’t been concluded yet, several eyes are also on the 2022 season. After all, two new teams are set to be added next year, making IPL a 10-team tournament. With the T20 tournament being an eight side affair since 2014, it will indeed be interesting to see what the addition of new franchises will result into.

Notably, this would not be the first time when more than eight teams have featured in IPL. The 2011 edition of the marquee event saw 10 sides in business while the next two seasons comprised nine franchises. With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deciding to expand the tournament again, many prominent bodies and business tycoons would be raring to get ownership rights in the new teams.

While the IPL 2021 was suspended halfway through this year (after 29 out of 60 matches were played) due to the emergence of Covid-19 cases in four of the eight franchises, the remainder of this year’s edition will be played from September 19 to October 15 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning a mega auction ahead of next year. In a mega auction, barring three retentions and two right-to-match (RTM) card players, all of the players are offloaded in the bidding pool. If two franchises are added, then there definitely will have to be a mega auction. It will involve additional matches and a wider window. The Board wants to wait and watch.

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