Legendary Australian spinner, Shane Warne was left awestruck after Ahmedabad and Lucknow were decided as the two new franchises for the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). On Monday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the owners of the new IPL teams RPSG Ventures Ltd. and Irelia Company Pte Ltd (CVC Capital Partners) have bought the Lucknow franchise for INR 7090 crores, the Ahmedabad team for a stunning INR 5625 crores respectively.
Going forward, the bidders need to complete the formalities as mentioned in the ITT document. Shane Warne, the all-time second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, called cricket the second most popular sport. He also praised the BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly.
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In his tweet, Shane Warne wrote: “Wow! Congratulations to both of the new franchise owners. Staggering amounts of money for each team & shows why cricket has become the 2nd most popular & biggest sport on the planet. $932 & $692 million dollars (USA). Well done to @SGanguly99 & everyone at the @BCCI on the @IPL.”
Wow ! Congratulations to both of the new franchise owners. Staggering amounts of money for each team & shows why cricket has become the 2nd most popular & biggest sport on the planet. $932 & $692 million dollars (USA). Well done to @SGanguly99 & everyone at the @BCCI on the @IPL https://t.co/pFkhKqv9ln
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) October 25, 2021
former England skipper Michael Vaughan has offered his thoughts on the IPL becoming a 10-team tournament from 2022. Vaughan tweeted, “With the 2 new franchises going for huge numbers it’s now very clear the IPL is the most powerful aspect of game now. It’s inevitable that we will see more games & longer tournaments.”
With the 2 new franchises going for huge numbers it’s now very clear the IPL is the most powerful aspect of game now .. It’s inevitable that we will see more games & longer tournaments ., #IPL
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 25, 2021
BCCI president Ganguly said, “The BCCI is happy to welcome two new teams from the next season of the Indian Premier League. I would like to congratulate RPSG Ventures Ltd & Irelia Company Pte Ltd for being successful bidders. The IPL will now go to two new cities in India viz in Lucknow and Ahmedabad.”
He also elaborated, “It is heartening to see the inclusion of two new teams at such a high valuation, and it reiterates the cricketing and financial strength of our cricket ecosystem.”
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The BCCI has had a hectic year as far as the IPL is concerned. Back in May, the tournament was eventually was halted midway after the sudden emergence of COVID-19 in the bio-secure bubbles. The IPL thereafter resumed in UAE and on October 15, the IPL came to a close after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The 2022 IPL will comprise 10 teams with 74 matches to be played. Each team will play seven home and seven away matches.
