Dubai: Two new Indian Premier League (IPL) teams will be added from the next season after the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) conducted an auction for the addition of two new franchises in Dubai on 25th. As the outcome of this auction, the cities of Ahmadabad and Lucknow received the highest bids from the participants of the auction.
RPSG group and Kolkata-based corporate tycoon Sanjiv Goenka bought the Lucknow team. They spent a massive amount of INR 7090 crore for the same. On the other hand, Irela Company Pte Limited (CVC Capital Partners), which is an international equity investment firm, bought the Ahmadabad team at a price of INR 5625 crore.
According to reports, around 10 participants took part in the auction. Among others, it also included the team owners of the iconic football club from England Manchester United, Adani Group, and Hindustan Media Ventures Pvt Ltd. Besides, in addition to Lucknow and Ahmadabad, other prominent cities like Guwahati, Cuttack, Dharamsala, and Indore were also in the fray.
Reacting to the auction, the president of BCCI Saurav Ganguly has said that the inclusion of international bidders strongly emphasizes the global appeal of IPL as a sporting league. He also added that that IPL is also proving to be a strong medium to globalize the game of cricket.
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BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has stated that he is happy for the people of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat as their long wait for their own IPL team is finally over now. He also extended his best wishes to the two new teams.
Earlier too in the year 2010, the IPL had 10 teams with Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors India. However, both the teams could not last in the league for very long. With the addition of two new teams in the coming year, the number of matches is also likely to increase.
Ever since its inception in 2008, the IPL has received tremendous support from cricketing fans across the globe. It has also become one of the most viewed sporting leagues in the world.
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