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While the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League is still on, a section of the fans as well the organisers and franchises have already started to look forward to IPL 2022 which is set to be a game-changer in many ways. Not only will there be a mega auction ahead of the 2022 season, but there are also set to be two more franchises added to the competition which will make it a 10-team tournament from next year.
And weighing in on the inclusion of the two new teams in the cash-rich league, Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia believes that each of the two new teams- which will be announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on October 25 after a team auction- will be sold for around INR 3000-3500 crore.
Value of each new team should be 50 to 75% more than the base price: Wadia
"The value of each of the new teams should be 50 to 75% more than the base price of Rs 2000 cr. I think each team would go for a minimum of 3,000 to 3,500 cr," Wadia told TOI in an interview.
Moreover, other than the team auction, the mega auction is also set to be held in December this year and there has not been any official statement to confirm how many players each franchise would be allowed to retain, especially with the inclusion of two new teams in the setup.
Mega auction should be fair and equitable: Wadia
"It (the mega player auction) should be fair and equitable, especially to the two new teams coming in. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens from that perspective," he added.
Despite teams trying to retain their key players, there are likely to be a few players who are much sought after in the auction. Wadia also believes that there will be certain players who the teams will be going after more desperately than the others and that would make for an exciting battle in itself.
As of now, Wadia's Punjab Kings only have an outside chance to reach the Playoffs as a win in their final fixture won't be enough to help them secure a berth in the final four. Punjab's net run rate is also a poor one which might work against them as there is only one spot remaining for the subsequent stage of the competition.