New Delhi : Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne has been left thrilled by the action that unfolded during the bidding war for two new teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said that after seeing the amount spent for two franchises, one has to realise why cricket has become the second most popular sport in the world.
Taking to Twitter, 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."
BCCI on Monday announced RPSG Ventures Ltd. - Lucknow (for INR 7,090 crores) and Irelia Company Pte Ltd (CVC Capital Partners) - Ahmedabad (for INR 5,625 crores) as the successful bidders for two new teams.
The new franchises will take part in the tournament from the 2022 edition onwards, subject to the bidders completing the post-bid formalities as specified in the ITT document. The IPL 2022 season will feature ten teams and comprise of 74 matches, wherein each team will contest 7 home and 7 away games.
BCCI President, Sourav 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 —Lucknow and Ahmedabad. 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."
"True to IPL's motto of 'Where Talent Meets Opportunity', the inclusion of two new teams will bring more domestic cricketers from our country to the global stage. The ITT process included two interested bidders from outside of India, which strongly emphasises the global appeal of the IPL as a sports property. The IPL is proving to be a wonderful instrument in globalising the game of cricket. I am keenly looking forward to IPL 2022," he added.
With ANI Inputs
