5 Cities That Might Become An IPL Franchise In IPL 2022

IPL 2022 will witness a change as two more franchises will become part of the tournament. BCCI had earlier informed that IPL 2022 will become a 10-team tournament as two new franchises will become part of the cash-rich league. The auctions for the two new franchises will be completed by May this year.

However, IPL 2022 will not be the first time that 10 teams will be part of a season in the Indian Premier League. In IPL 2011, 10 teams participated in the season. Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala were added as two new franchises in the 4^th edition of the Indian Premier League in 2011. Later, Kochi Tuskers Kerala was banned from IPL and only 9 teams took part in IPL 2012 and IPL 2013. Later, the number of teams was again brought down to 8.

Ahead of IPL 2022, a mega auction will take place so the new franchises will get ample opportunities to buy their best choice of players. There are few cities that lead the race to become the new IPL franchise in IPL 2022. Here we talk about 5 cities that might become an IPL franchise in IPL 2022.

5 Cities That Might Become An IPL Franchise In IPL 2022

Pune

Pune is the biggest contender to become a new IPL franchise in IPL 2022. Pune city has earlier too been an IPL franchise. Pune Warriors India and Rising Pune Supergiants were two teams that represented Pune city in the earlier editions of IPL. Pune Warriors India played from IPL 2011 to IPL 2013 when the tournament was increased to more than 8 teams.

Rising Pune Supergiants played in IPL 2016 and IPL 2017 when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned from participating in two seasons. If Pune city becomes one of the two new franchises in IPL 2022, the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune will be the home ground for the franchise. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has also hosted international matches. So far, it has hosted 2 Tests, 4 ODIs, and 3 T20Is. The ground recently hosted India vs England three-match ODI series in March.

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is another city that has good chances of becoming an IPL franchise in IPL 2022. The newly built cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is the largest cricket stadium in the world with a seating capacity of 132,000 spectators. It is known as Narendra Modi Stadium or the Motera Stadium. Recently, the ground hosted few international games. The five matches of the T20I series between India and England were all hosted at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Moreover, it also hosted few matches of IPL 2021. The Narendra Modi Stadium was scheduled to host all the playoffs matches and the final of IPL 2021. Therefore, Ahmedabad city can become one of the two new IPL franchises in IPL 2022. Earlier, Gujarat Lions became part of the Indian Premier League and participated in IPL 2016 and IPL 2017.

Lucknow

Lucknow is another city that can become a new franchise in IPL 2022. Lucknow has an international cricket stadium that has successfully hosted few international games. Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, also known as Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, is a cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators.

In July 2019, BCCI approved it as the third home ground for the Afghanistan cricket team in India. The ground hosted all the matches of the Afghanistan vs West Indies series in 2019. The Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow recently hosted 5 ODI matches and 3 T20I matches between Indian women and South African women. So, Lucknow is another city that can become a franchise in IPL 2022.

Indore

Indore is another city that can become an IPL franchise in the next edition of the Indian Premier League. Indore has a cricket stadium named Holkar Cricket Stadium. If Indore becomes a new IPL franchise, Holkar Stadium will become the home ground for the team. The stadium has also hosted international matches. Holkar Stadium has hosted 4 ODIs and 1 Test so far, all of which were won by India. Indore is also a popular city in India and tagged as the cleanest city in India.

Kochi

Kochi is another city that has the possibility to become a new franchise in IPL 2021. Kochi has a cricket stadium known as Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium or popularly known as Kaloor Stadium. It has a seating capacity of 60,500 spectators. It was the home ground of IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala during IPL 2011 and hosted all of their IPL 2011 home games. Since Kochi has already been an IPL franchise in the past, the city has more chances of becoming an IPL franchise once again in IPL 2022.