'Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore': Cricket fans speculate which 2 cities will get IPL franchise

The BCCI announced on Tuesday, that the Indian Premier League Media Rights for the cycle 2023-2027 will be released after the announcement of two new teams in IPL on October 25, 2021. Following the announcement by BCCI, cricket fans in India were quick to speculate, which of the two Indian cities would have their teams, as IPL is all set to become a ten-team tournament. Currently, in the 2021 IPL season, eight teams are locking horns with each other for the IPL title, as the tournament approaches its closure on October 15.

Cricket fans speculate which two cities will get IPL franchise

Cricket fans on Twitter speculated the new teams to be hailing from cities like Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore, and Pune among the many others. A user claimed that one of the new teams will surely be Ahmedabad, as the World’s biggest stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium, also known as Motera Stadium is situated in the city. The user added that BCCI would earn a great deal of money with the tickets sold in the stadium, as the stadium can host up to 1,32,000 spectators at once.

Another user pitched in favour of Pune for having a new IPL team, as the city has a great pull from cricket fans. However, citing Pune joining and quitting the tournament twice, the user added that Indore or Lucknow can be next in line as it would be loved by the fans in Central India. Another user said that Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow has an upper hand in terms of audience capacity.

Meanwhile, a user predicted that IPL will eventually have 16 teams competing in the future as it is just about the time and bidding process. The user mentioned Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore, Guwahati, and Ranchi among the other 16 teams. At the same time, few of the users called for the inclusion of Jammu and Kashmir as an IPL team.

As per ANI, the BCCI also announced on September 21 that the board has decided to extend the date of purchasing the Invitation to Tender (ITT) to own and operate one of the two new IPL teams, till October 10. Prior to this announcement, the last date to purchase the ITT for the right to own and operate the team was October 5. The ITT would be available for interested buyers on receipt of payment of INR 10,00,000 plus GST. In the official press release, BCCI added that the payment would be a non-refundable Tender fee and the interested parties may email at ittiipl2021@bcci.tv to receive further details about the ITT purchase.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: IPLT20/BCCI/Twitter/@SAURABHSAGAR/@amansingh0823/@MaheshB101)