The Indian Premier League is the biggest annual cricket tournament that fans are always looking forward to seeing. The current IPL season is still suspended but it is already set to resume in October in the UAE. The first half of the VIVO IPL 2021 started in India but due to the pandemic, it had to be suspended and moved outside the country.
The current IPL season is participated by eight teams that consist of Indian and overseas players. It has 60 matches with 56 league games and four playoffs. Before the suspension, the 2021 IPL was held behind closed doors as it is carried out by a bio-secure bubble. Fans can only watch the matches via live streams and participate in online cricket betting with the best casino in India. Many hoped that fans will be eventually welcomed in the stadium but India was hit hard by the pandemic in May that even the IPL bubble was breached.
Now, even if the current season is far from over, the 2022 IPL is already talked about as there will be a lot of changes in store as there will be two new franchises that will be included in the mix. The BCCI has already released the blueprint for the next season and fans are already looking forward to seeing how the plans work out.
What The BCCI Has Already Released About the Next Season
The talks of including two new teams in the IPL mix aren’t exactly new anymore. The BCCI wanted to this last year but the pandemic made it hard to happen. Many thought that the changes would be carried out to the current season but before the 2021 edition even began, the BCCI already said that it won’t happen until next year.
The BCCI has already finalized at least a blueprint for the next season. This includes details on the two new franchises, player retention, increase in salary, bigger media rights, and mega auction. The changes in these areas of the IPL are scheduled to be rolled out between August 2021 and January 2022.
The tender documents for the new franchises should be released in Mid-August. It may take up to one month for the BCCI to choose two bidders and so, it may be in mid-October that the new teams will be officially named. In December will be the Mega Auction and the bidding for the media rights should begin in mid-January.
There is no official announcement yet as to when and where the 2022 IPL edition will be held. However, the tentative schedule is set for March 2022 to May 2022. It is also tentatively scheduled to take place in India, but this will depend on the pandemic situation in the country. What’s certain is that VIVO will still be the title sponsor as the contract states that it will remain as is until next year.
More Details on Salary Increments and Tournament Flow
There will also be a change in the salary purse of the franchises. Each team will have an increase of Rs 50 crore in the next three years. And so, for next year, from Rs 85 crore, the teams will have Rs 90 crore in total for the salary pool. By 2024, the franchises should have as much as Rs 100 crore as their salary purse. The franchises are mandated to spend at least 75 percent of their budget for each season.
When it comes to player retention, the teams are allowed to keep at least four players under certain conditions. They are only allowed to keep either three Indian players and one overseas player or two Indians and two overseas players. The retained players should also deduct specified sums from their salary purse before participating in the auction. This leads to many thinking of how some players may not want to be retained by teams.
Now, when it comes to how many games will be played in the tournament with a total of 10 teams, it is likely that the BCCI will follow the format that the IPL 2011 edition as it was also participated by 10 teams. This means that there will be a total of 74 matches in the next season and the teams will be grouped into two.
According to BCCI, the league and even the broadcasters are just not ready yet to prolong the tournament to 94 games. A representative told Hindustan Times, “We are not ready for 94 matches yet. Our broadcasters are not ready. There are issues around overseas player availability and finding a suitable window. We will consider a bigger window in future years.”
