MUMBAI: Like the BCCI plans to go ahead with a tender and introduce new franchises to the current team of eight Indian Premier League (IPL), questions are asked every day. While the Board has the space, ecosystem, and financial foresight to proceed with the move, it has not yet made the final decision on whether to incorporate a new franchise or two.
While that call is expected to be taken soon, the inclusion of a franchise or two will require BCCI to plan a mega-auction before the league’s 14th edition, scheduled for April and May. In such a scenario, stakeholders believe that the Board will need to work on some policy changes.
Currently, each team can build a general squad of 18-25 cricketers with a maximum of eight foreign players. Only four foreign players can be part of the eleven players, while the remaining seven must be Indian.
“Teams are already struggling to guarantee quality. If you look at most IPL teams, seven to nine players form the core, while two to three players per team are rotated to find the right balance. Now , if eight franchises are increased to 10, that quality is further diluted. The core of IPL, the very essence of having a salary pocket each year, is ensuring that the overall quality of the eight franchises remains somewhere at the same level. regardless of the spending capacity of an individual franchise. If two additional teams get from the same pool of cricketers at auction, can quality be guaranteed? “ask existing franchises.
To this end, a prominent BCCI official suggested that foreign players in the XI game should therefore be increased from four to five. “There are quality foreign players who are heating the bench every season due to the restriction. An additional foreign player will compensate for that need,” the official was reported to have suggested.
However, since IPL is a national tournament centered on India, it is necessary to wait and see if the BCCI and more specifically the IPL governing council agree to such a move.
Other factors are also being considered as reports of incoming new franchises circulate.
Mumbai Indians they just won their fifth title and if a mega-auction is required, and teams can retain certain players, MI will still have to lay off more than 15 team members. “Does that mean those players will be considered IPL champions for just a month and a half?” say those follow-up developments.
If BCCI intends to add new franchises, a mega-auction will have to be held no later than January to give all teams enough time to prepare for a start in late March or early April. “Let’s say MI can retain only four players: Rohit, Jasprit, Hardik, Kieron. The rest cannot be called champions after January for a title they won in November.” they add.
And finally, the BCCI must also consider what its Media Rights Agreement (MRA) says with the station Star. “It is necessary to verify if, according to the MRA, the parties can only be extended to 76 (9 teams) or can be extended to 91 (10 teams), compared to 60 (8 teams) at this time,” say the sources.
If it’s just 76, industry executives say BCCI will have to work to restrict the number of days to a minimum if it wants 10 teams and “the only way to do that will be by changing the format and possibly going back to the 2011 agreement for now.”
BCCI to float RFP for A / V rights
The BCCI is also preparing to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) audiovisual production rights and all others. Cricket. Star India Pvt Ltd had won the audiovisual production rights for the 2018-19 season and reserved the right to extend the term for one more season (2020). Star, now part of the Disney umbrella, is unlikely to choose the rights again.
Capitals of Delhi ready for a change in management
Ending what turned out to be their most successful campaign in 13 years, the Daredevils-turned-Capitals of Delhi are now ready for a change in team management. In accordance with the policies established two years ago, when JSW’s scion Parth Jindal bought 50% of the stake in the franchise and reached an agreement with GMR Group (the other 50% of the stakeholders) that each stakeholder would lead the team for two years each, now it’s GMR’s turn to take over.
TOI understands that Kiran Kumar Grandhi of the GMR Group has already taken over the franchise.
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