IPL likely to have ten teams from 2018

It was much ado about nothing at the IPL Governing Council's meeting in Kolkata on Thursday. After a one-and-a-half hour deliberation, it was back to square one for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). With the Chennai High Court refusing to grant interim relief to Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL), the new owners of the Chennai franchise, BCCI had no option but to call for fresh tender to fill the void.

According to well-placed sources, the four-man Working Group put forth two suggestions before the Governing Council members. The first option is to float tender for two new IPL teams for 2 years to make up for the absence of the suspended Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). The second option is to invite tender for two new teams for 10 years and have 10 teams in IPL from 2018 when CSK and RR return to the fold.

These suggestions will be placed before the Working Committee meeting on Friday. Given the fact that a majority of the existing IPL franchises are yet to break even after eight seasons of the T20 league, BCCI will struggle to find bidders for just two seasons.

According to a BCCI insider, the first option is likely to be shot down by the Working Committee. The second option was always the most logical way forward as it will enable BCCI to rake in money in the next two seasons and also have a bigger IPL from 2018 onward when the T20 league completes 10 years of its existence.

All eyes at Friday's Working Committee meeting will also be on former president N Srinivasan, who has indicated that he will attend the meeting as Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) representative. Srinivasan, who was debarred from BCCI activities by the Supreme Court earlier this year, could risk earning the ire of the apex court if he chooses to sit in the WC meeting.

It will be interesting to see whether BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya will allow Srinivasan to attend the meeting. Dalmiya is likely to go strictly by legal advice from BCCI counsel Usha Nath Banerjee in this regard. Aditya Verma, the secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB), however, maintained that if Srinivasan attends, it would tantamount to contempt of court and sparks could fly at the meeting.

The Working Committee is also likely to discuss the issue of appointing a coach for Team India. There are suggestions that Team India which has different captains for the shorter and longer formats, should also have separate coaches. The date of AGM will also be finalized by the Working Committee.