Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The Indian Premier League which is set to be a 10-team affair from 2022 onwards has got its two new teams and they are none other than Ahmedabad and Lucknow. While the Ahmedabad team has been successfully bought by the CVC Capital group, Lucknow has been taken by RP-Sanjeev Goenka. The same was confirmed after a team bidding process in Dubai on Monday.
While there have been 10-teams in IPL in the past, the tournament is unlikely to go back to an eight-team format with both the franchises aiming at a long-term association with the tournament. The two new teams have also been announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Mega auction ahead of IPL 2022 for new entrants to get a pool of players for themselves
The Indian Premier League is already one of the richest cricketing league in the world and with the addition of two new teams, the BCCI is set to receive a huge lump sum amount. There is also set to be a mega auction probably in December 2021 ahead of IPL 2022 which will allow the new entrants to get a pool of players ready before they jump into one of the toughest domestic T20 tournaments around the world.
So far, the Mumbai Indians have been the most successful franchise in the tournament, having won the competition a total of five times. Chennai Super Kings have an equally impressive record if not better with four titles, also considering the fact that they were banned for two years.
IPL 2022 aiming to return to India
However, with the mega auction this year all franchises are set to get a more or less complete revamp with Royal Challengers Bangalore also set to lookout for a new captain after Virat Kohli. Moreover, the new franchises will also look out for potential leaders in their team who can be the face of their franchise in the tournament.
While there are doubts over the involvement of MS Dhoni with Chennai Super Kings from next year onwards, it seems certain that he will be with the team in some capacity even if he does not play for the franchise anymore. IPL 2022, meanwhile, will return to India after the first half of IPL 2021 had to be suspended midway due to the Coronavirus crisis and the second half conducted in UAE.