Indian Premier League will likely have 10 teams from 2022

It is learnt that most of the stakeholders feel that having a nine or 10-team IPL in 2021 will be a hasty decision with the new franchises getting very little time to build a competitive team

The BCCI's all-powerful general body will give approval to a 10-team Indian Premier League during its Annual General Body Meeting on Thursday but it will only materialise in 2022 instead of the current year. One of the major points in the agenda of BCCI's AGM to be held in Ahmedabad is the inclusion of new IPL franchises. It is learnt that most of the stakeholders feel that having a nine or 10-team IPL in 2021 will be a hasty decision with the new franchises getting very little time to build a competitive team.

"There are a lot of modalities that needs to be discussed and most of the stakeholders feel that with IPL being held in April, there is very little time for a mega auction and to have a uniform retention policy, agreeable to all the existing franchises," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. "You have to invite tenders and have a bidding process ready. In case you have two teams winning bids in late January or early February, they need to be given time for auction which can then be held only in March. That leaves a new team with very little time to plan," he added.

A 10-team IPL means 94 games and nearly two and half month window which can throw the international calender into disarray. Also the availability of the top foreign players for the entire duration of the IPL needs to be ensured and the broadcast money per year which is for 60 matches also needs to be re-negotiated. As of now, Star India pays Rs 16,347.50 crore for a period between 2018-2022 and till date it was for 60 matches per year. Some of the biggest names who seem to be interested in buying teams include business tycoons Gautam Adani and Sanjeev Goenka (erstwhile owner of Rising Pune Supergiants).

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