Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the greatest franchise T20 tournaments in the world, and since its inception in 2008, it has grown by leaps and bounds in more ways than one. The quality of cricket in the IPL has improved a lot over the years, taking the T20 format to the next level in its recent season with some swashbuckling batting from few of the top batters in the world, hitting fours and sixes at will.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) firstly expanded the league in 2011, bringing two new teams, but the experiment was short-lived as they went out of existence one after another in three years. When Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were banned for the involvement of their officials and players in spot-fixing, the BCCI bought two new teams on a temporary basis in the IPL to fill in the gap.
The second attempt at expanding the IPL happened in 2022, when two new teams were introduced in the league, and one of them, Gujarat Titans (GT), ended up winning the title in their first try just like RR did in 2008. Over time, there have been IPL matches hosted in cities where IPL teams were based for a short time or temporarily, which is why it is expected that the league will expand further in the near future.
Five cities that deserve new IPL teams
Pune
The city of Pune has already had two IPL teams in the history of the league, namely Pune Warriors India (PWI) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), with the latter reaching the final in the 2017 season, where they lost to Mumbai Indians (MI). The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium has improved a lot in recent years, and the fans in Pune are known to be one of the passionate for cricket in the country, which is why this city could be first in line to get a team if IPL expands.
Kochi
Kochi Tuskers Kerala was an IPL team in the 2011 season when the league expanded the first time, but unluckily for the people of Kochi, the team disbanded after the season due to outstanding payment issues. The city of Kochi is known to be quite an enthusiastic bunch for all kinds of sports, which is seen time and again at the JawaharLal Nehru Stadium, and an IPL team once again for the city could do wonders for the sports in the state of Kerala.
Indore
Indore is one of the most sought-after cities in the central part of India in Madhya Pradesh, where there is no IPL team based as of yet, but in the near future, it could all change if the league continues to grow as a product. Over the years, Indore has been hailed as one of the best places to play cricket by not just Indian, but also overseas players, with its iconic Holkar Stadium creating a unique atmosphere due to the close proximity of the fans to the action happening in the field, and it has successfully hosted IPL matches as well in the past.
Guwahati
Guwahati is currently the second home of the inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals (RR), allowing the cricket hungry fans of the north eastern part of India to enjoy some top-quality franchise T20 cricket at long last. The Barsapara Stadium is an excellent cricket facility with clear viewing of the action for the fans from all sides, and investment from the Assam government in the sport in recent years could lead to them getting an IPL team based from Guwahati someday.
Visakhapatnam
The ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam has hosted the matches of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL in the last couple of years, and the fans from the state of Andhra Pradesh, who lost their team after the formation of Telangana, have enjoyed the matches by filling up the ground every time. Located in one of the picturesque parts of eastern India, Visakhapatnam has all the credentials to earn themselves an IPL team if the league is expanded in the near future.
