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IPL 2021: BCCI mulling one additional team

The Indian Premier League 2021 would be the 14th edition of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament. Traditionally, it has been contested by eight teams, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India is looking to expand the competition further by adding more teams.

IPL 2021: BCCI mulling one additional team-ayh
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Mumbai, First Published Jan 18, 2021, 12:45 PM IST

The Indian Premier League saw its 13th edition completed just a couple of months back. However, the build-up to the 14th edition is already underway, which is only three months away.

The tournament has scaled colossal success ever since its inception and is the world's grandest Twenty20 league. While eight teams have traditionally contested it, expansion is being considered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, as it looks to add a couple of more teams.

The board has already planned on issuing a tender for the same in March. It is likely to be expanded after 2022. Before the edition, the franchises are also expected to participate in the mega auction. However, as per reports, BCCI is possibly contemplating adding at least a team from the 2021 edition.

ALSO READ: IPL 2021 auction- Player registration deadline date set by BCCI

After deciding on the expansion during its Annual General Meeting last month, the board has taken into consideration some of the pointers, as reported by Times of India:

  • A team for now and another later, keeping in mind the prevailing market condition, as going at once could limit the franchise's potential value.
  • Adding the second team right away could lead to shuffling the tournament format, which could, in return, impact the already-packed international calendar.
  • The second team's inclusion would mean extending the window by a month, at least, to fit all the matches, based on home and away format. Currently, the tournament is played across two months. Also, doing so at a later date would allow a better value from the broadcasters, as the current deal is set to expire after 2022.

 

"All said, it's a well-thought move. The BCCI will clearly benefit in the short and long run because it'll derive better value from the 10th franchise in the future, doesn't really disturb the ecosystem, for now, buys them more time to put their own house in order," said executives from the industry.

They are also confident of the IPL receiving the backing other central cricketing boards for an expanded window. "It is the smaller boards, who did not want BCCI's comeback in the ICC and are pushing for the eight-year cycle of global events to work, who are not in favour of what India's looking at. But, from an industry standpoint, that's not how it works. The IPL is like the elephant in the room and it's going to make space for itself," sources added.

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