In the meeting between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) it has been decided that the upcoming edition of the IPL 2022 will be held in India. A BCCI source informed Sports Tak that in the meeting it has been decided that the upcoming season of the IPL will be organised not all over India but in two cities only and names of Mumbai and Pune are included in it.
If the current scenario, which has been impacted hugely by the Covid-19 pandemic; gets more frightening in the country in the month of March till the start of IPL, then the BCCI has another plan prepared as well.
Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary of the BCCI said in an official statement
“I am delighted to confirm that the 15th season of the IPL will start in the last week of March and will run until May end. A majority of the team owners expressed their wish that the tournament be held in India. The BCCI was always keen on staging the 2022 edition that will see two new teams – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – in India. I can tell you that we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that IPL stays in India. The BCCI has not compromised on the health and safety of its stakeholders in the past and will concurrently work on Plan B since the COVID-19 situation with new variants remains fluid. The mega IPL Auction will take place on February 12-13th and we will lock in venues before that.”
Two different countries
And for this, two countries- South Africa and United Arab Emirates have been included as a backup plan.
It is important to remember that the danger of Omicron, a new variant of the Coronavirus, is still creating trouble globally. In a situation like this, BCCI will have to consider multiple and different scenarios. On one hand, the West Indies team are coming to India to play ODI and T20 series in the month of February and at the same time, the mega auction of IPL 2022 is also slated to be held in Bangalore on February 12 and February 13.
All the 10 teams have already started gearing up and more than 1200 players have registered for the grand IPL auction. Considering all these events the board will have to come up with various plans and also overcome many challenges in order to organise a big tournament like IPL.
Two new teams
The upcoming 2022 IPL will experience 10 teams will fight with each other for the prestigious trophy. Two new franchises have been added this time- Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
Ahmedabad franchise on January 21 (Friday) named India all-rounder Hardik Pandya as its captain after they signed him for Rs 15 crores. The Ahmedabad team will have former South Africa batsman and World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten as their mentor.
On the other hand, Lucknow franchise appointed KL Rahul as their captain after roping in for Rs 17 crores.
