Reports: IPL 2022 to feature 10 teams, two additional teams to be auctioned in May

Going by reports, the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to feature 10 teams. Earlier, there were reports of 10 teams taking part in the 2021 season itself, but due to lack of preparation time and other reasons, it couldn’t happen.

The upcoming season is set to get underway on April 9 and the tournament has returned to India after the one in the UAE. As far as the additional teams for the 2022 season are concerned, the auction for the same will take place in the month of May.

On Saturday, March 13, the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI and secretary Jay Shah met in a meeting surrounding a number of policies, approved by the IPL Governing Council ahead of the 2021 season.

BCCI source opens up on IPL’s future

“The 10 team IPL will roll on from next year and the bidding process and finalisation of the new franchises will be completed by the month of May this year. Once the teams are finalised, they can start their operational work which takes considerable time,” a senior BCCI source, privy to the development, was quoted as saying in Times Now.

Back in 2011, the IPL had 10 teams with Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors also taking part. The very next season saw the termination of the Kochi franchise from the prestigious T20 league. But later, the tournament was pruned down to eight teams each.

The BCCI has been on its toes ever since the 2020 edition ended in November 2020. The auction for the 2021 edition took place on February 18 in Chennai where a number of foreign and Indian players went under the hammer.

The board also conducted two domestic tournaments- the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy- without much hassle. Back in February, international cricket returned to India with the four-match Test series against England.

India won the series 3-1 and are currently playing the five-match T20I series. On Sunday, March 14, the BCCI is also likely to announce the squad for the ODI series, which is set to start on March 23 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.