While the second leg of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to commence from 19th September, BCCI is planning on the expansion of the league in the 2022 edition. The board is targeting the Hindi Speaking regions with their plan of expansion. With this plan, the board wants to make sure that there is a zonal balance in the tournament and the beautiful city of Dharamshala has been shortlisted among five other cities.
There are eight teams in the league currently which represent different zones. There is a little imbalance as far as all the zones are concerned and this is what the BCCI is trying to cover with their strategy. BCCI plans to introduce two new teams in the league and among the six shortlisted cities is Dharmshala. Though the plan has been chalked out, the dates for auctions have not been announced yet. A whopping amount of Rs.2000 crore has been set as the base price for both teams.
Dharamshala among 6 shortlisted cities
As far as the viewership is concerned, Hindi-speaking regions play a pivotal role as a big percentage of the viewership comes for the Hindi-speaking regions. This is one of the major reasons why BCCI is targeting the Hindi-speaking regions. Even the ongoing India vs England series has got most of its viewership on Sony Ten 3 which offers Hindi commentary for sports lovers.
The 6 shortlisted cities for two new IPL Franchises are Guwahati, Ranchi, Cuttack (from the East region), Ahmedabad (from the West), Lucknow (from the Central Zone) and Dharamshala (from North). The competition will only get spicier after the introduction of the two new teams and the fans will definitely love the battle amongst the teams.
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For the uninitiated, the 2021 edition of the IPL was halted due to a Coronavirus outbreak in the camps and the second leg has been shifted to UAE. The tournament will start on 19th September and will end on 15th October with the final.
