IPL 2021: Franchises from Ahmedabad and either Kanpur or Lucknow reportedly set to be added
One of the main agendas of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 24 is to discuss the inclusion of two more franchises in IPL 2021. This would make the 14th edition of the league a 10-team tournament.
IPL 2021 will take place in India across the months of April and May, and talks regarding the expansion of India’s biggest carnival have been going on for quite some time now.
Though there hasn’t been any official announcement yet from any of the stakeholders, reports suggest that Ahmedabad tops the list of shortlisted cities from which the ninth team will emerge.
This means that the 110,000-capacity Motera Stadium will be the home ground of the Gujarat franchise. The 10th team has a high possibility of coming out of Uttar Pradesh, based out of either Lucknow or Kanpur.
The final verdict, though, will be passed during the BCCI AGM later this month. About the mega auction that might precede the tournament, a BCCI source said that the interests of all parties concerned will be taken into account before deciding in a month’s time.
“Time constraints are there but the full auction will be in the interest of everyone. IPL Governing Council will formally decide on this in next 3-4 weeks and communicate to everyone concerned,” a person in the know of things told Insidesport on condition of anonymity.
Reports: Adani and Goenka Group to own the new IPL 2021 franchises
There isn’t any conclusive evidence yet, but Adani Group and Goenka Group are the frontrunners to buy the ninth and tenth teams of IPL 2021.
While Gautam Adani has repeatedly shown interest in owning an IPL franchise, Sanjeev Goenka owned the Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016 and 2017.
The two-year bans on the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals brought in the Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions for the 2016 and 2017 editions.
The only 10-team affair was IPL 2011, in which the Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala came into the fray. While KTK featured in a solitary season, the first Pune-based franchise played in the league till 2013.