The BCCI has made contact with the IPL franchisees internally and has informed them that next year’s edition of the IPL 2022 would begin on April 2. As per reports coming in from internal circles, the BCCI has refrained from making an official statement so far to the media. If all goes according to the plan, Chennai would be the first venue of the marquee tournament in 2022.

Since Chennai Super Kings are the reigning IPL champions, this has not come as a surprise to cricket analysts. It has become a tradition to see every winning team getting to host the first match the following year. So fans would be queuing up outside Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium next April for the curtain-raiser.

IPL Set For Return To Homeland After Stint In The UAE

This year the IPL governing committee had to take a call amidst rising Covid-19 cases in the country to either cancel IPL 2021 halfway through or take it somewhere else. They chose the second option and shifted the venue overseas to the UAE. As a result of that decision, half the matches were played in India and the rest in the cities such as Dubai and Sharjah.

Due to the Covid-19 situation slowly getting contained in India, the organisers are now setting goals to bring back the IPL to its home base. They have promised cricket fans that IPL 2022 would be the biggest they have ever seen.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Ecstatic At The Prospect Of New Teams

Current BCCI Secretary and IPL spokesperson Jay Shah spoke to the media recently and made his feelings clear about the IPL. He said, “I know you all are waiting to see CSK play at Chepauk. Well, the moment is not very far. The 15th season of the IPL will take place in India and it will be more exciting than ever with two new teams joining. We have a mega auction coming up, so it will be interesting to see what the new combinations look like.”

The secretary was referring to the addition of two brand new IPL teams in a recent bidding war. Last month the BCCI had held a meeting to invite bids for two new teams. The Sanjiv Goenka-led RSPG group had won the rights to the Lucknow- based team, whereas Irelia Company Pte Limited (CVC Capital Partners) got hold of the team to be based in Ahmedabad. This would mean that next year’s edition of the IPL would have more games, resulting in more entertainment for the fans and more revenue for the organisers.

Ahmedabad And Lucknow Franchisees Waiting To Join The Big Carnival

IPL 2022 will see two new teams playing for the top awards and accolades. Earlier this year, the Ahmedabad and Lucknow franchisees were added to the already existing 8-team roster. These teams have not been given names yet but are cooperating with the governing body in every step of the process.

Before the start of the tournament, all 10 teams would participate in a grand auction to pick and buy players of their choice.

Franchisee Owners Toying With The Idea Of Overseas Games

With the big success that this season’s IPL has had in the UAE, IPL owners have already started lobbying together to get the BCCI to shift some of the games to venues outside India. They are of the view that like in the UAE, large Indian populations are present in other parts of the world as well. So it is going to be a good business idea to utilise this reality and make the brand value of the IPL even bigger.

Speaking to media representatives, Ness Wadia of the Punjab Super Kings had this to say- “The BCCI must consider having off-season matches to be held in places where there is a big Indian diaspora. That will grow the IPL even more. A bunch of three or five games in the off-season based on player availability. Hypothetically, allow the top four franchisees every year to play a few games in, for example, Miami or in Toronto or Singapore. It will only strengthen what already is a strong product.”

IPL Calendar Yet To Be Declared

Although the BCCI has started to give out bits and pieces of information about the IPL internally, the important one about the schedule is yet to be confirmed. All that has been extracted from the headquarters so far is that the entire season of the IPL would be covered in 60 days, beginning on April 2 in Chennai