In a significant development, the Board Cricket of Control India (BCCI) which convened its 89th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday has decided to include two new teams in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The two new franchises are expected to be Lucknow and Ahmedabad, with the latter likely to get the newly inaugurated Motera Stadium as its home, as per sources. With the inclusion of two new franchises, the IPL 2022 is also expected to witness 94 league matches instead of the usual 56-matches long season. 

The BCCI has also decided to back the ICC's bid for the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympics after clarifications from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The board members which met in Ahmedabad on Thursday noon have also decided to 'suitably compensate' both men and women first-class players for the curtailed domestic season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In other decisions, veteran Congress leader Rajiv Shukla has officially anointed the Board's vice president in place of his protege Mahim Verma from Uttarakhand.  It was also learnt that the general body decided in favour of Sourav Ganguly continuing as a director in the ICC Board.

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10 teams in IPL from 2022

After a successful season in the UAE, the IPL 2022 will feature 10 teams, for which the BCCI will soon float tenders inviting bidders to buy the new franchises. The bidding will be followed by a mega auction which will witness all 10 franchises fighting for the players to build their squads. 

Previously, the 2011 edition had witnessed the inclusion of two new teams - Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala - taking the total number of teams to 10. However, a year later, the Kochi franchise was terminated and then in 2011 the BCCI announced the termination of Deccan Chargers. This was followed by the introduction of Hyderabad franchise as a replacement and later on due to differences with the BCCI, the Pune franchise opted out of the IPL, bringing back the total number of teams to 8. 

In 2015, MS Dhoni-led Chennai franchise and the inaugural champions Rajasthan were suspended for two seasons owing to a betting scandal. The BCCI had then roped in Pune and Rajkot as their suitable replacements, which were subsequently dissolved following the end of Chennai and Rajasthan's suspension period. 

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(With agency inputs)