There could be a rush from bidders for the two new the Indian Premier League teams, once the fresh tender is floated for the next edition of the tournament, said a senior BCCI official.
BCCI vice-president T.C. Mathew said that the tenders would be floated soon after the annual general meeting to be held in Mumbai on November 9.
“There is no doubt that there would be a good number of applications as it has been decided to select two new teams to replace Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals who remain suspended for two years,” said Mathew.
“There would be eight teams, including the two new ones for the 2016 and 2017 editions and once after that, there would be an overhaul and the total number of teams from 2018 would be 10,” said Mathew, who is also president of the Kerala Cricket Association.
Incidentally, in 2011 two new teams were inducted with Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors. But the Kochi team was dropped following non-payment of bank guarantee after differences of opinion between the owners of the team surfaced before the 2012 IPL while Pune franchise pulled out after the 2013 edition.
Now, it remains to be seen if someone would bid again from Kerala.
With the state capital now having a brand new International Cricket Council-certified venue, the Greenfield Stadium, and a state where any sporting activity, especially cricket and football, brings in record crowds, sources said there could be a bid from Kerala for a team.
The success of the Indian Super League with matches at Kochi attracting over 60,000 fans each for the first three matches, is a huge guarantee that a home team for Kerala will be a money spinner.
The IPL governing council has decided the windows for the 2016 and 2017 seasons of the tournament. The IPL 2016 will be played between 8 April and 29 May. The IPL 2017 will be played between 5 April and 21 May.