IPL : BCCI to come up with new franchise tender post Diwali

Having organised a successful and electrifying season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now planning to make the cash-rich league even bigger. Days after BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed the 14th season of the IPL in April 2021, reports suggest that the governing body is planning to introduce a new franchise next season.

Also read : IPL: Sourav Ganguly confirms IPL 2021 will take place in April-May

According to a TOI report, BCCI was first planning to introduce two new franchises. But until now the governing body has not come up with a decision in that regard yet. The source further claims that the tender for the new franchises might come after Diwali. Last time it was in IPL 2013 when more than eight teams participated in an IPL season.

“The tender is most likely to come after Diwali, once a decision is taken in this regard. And regardless of whether it’s one franchise or two, if new teams come in then a mega auction cannot be avoided,” sources said.

Move looks unlikely

The report further suggests the Adani Group, the Tatas and the RPG-Sanjiv Goenka Group are very keen on owning an IPL franchise. On the other hand, leading banker Uday Kotak and media entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala are also believed to be front runners in the race.

But new franchises come with a whole set of troubles. For starters, the mega auction becomes inevitable. And with such less time between the tournaments, it is almost next to impossible. Inclusion of franchises means the number of games jump to 76 or 90 depending on the number of new franchises. So with the ongoing pandemic and jampacked international schedule next year, the organisers face yet another Herculean task.

While the addition of new franchises looks very unlikely, one cannot help but wait for the official confirmation which is weeks away according to sources.

Also read : IPL 2020: ‘We have pulled off a great tournament’ – Sourav Ganguly happy with successful IPL season