BCCI gears up for mega auction, ninth IPL team likely

Our Correspondent

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is upbeat after successfully organising the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

In a tournament that lasted for 55 days saw Mumbai Indians coming out victorious in the IPL Final. The Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Delhi Capitals on November 10 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It was the fifth IPL triumph for the Mumbai-based franchise which is owned by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani.

According to reports, the BCCI has started making preparations for IPL 2021 and the board is also planning to host a mega auction for the upcoming season. The board is also planning to form a ninth team in the cash-rich league to give a boost to their finances.

As the BCCI wants to keep the financial structure of theirs and the teams intact and revive from the setback and losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they need a mega auction. Reports suggest that the board – headed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly – has indicated to all teams about the call to stage a mega auction.
Reports claim that the Adani Group, the Tatas and the RPG-Sanjiv Goenka Group are keen to own a franchise in IPL. Leading banker Uday Kotak has also shown interest along with media entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala.

Cricket fans in Kerala are excited about reports that the new owner will be Mohanlal, who was in Dubai to watch the IPL final and discuss the issue. The Kerala team will be a replacement for Tuskers Kerala, which has played in the IPL before. If Tuskers’ headquarters were in Kochi, the new Kerala IPL team would be based at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.