Manchester United owners likely to bid for new IPL 2022 teams: Report

The 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to have 10 teams competing for the coveted trophy. The IPL governing body had invited bids to acquire the right of two new teams for the upcoming season. While the BCCI statement stated that the ‘Invitation to Tender’ (ITT) will be available for purchase till October 5, 2021 reports have emerged that the timeline has been increased due to interest shown by the owners of the Premier League team Manchester United. 

Glazer family interested in buying an IPL team?

According to ANI report, Manchester United owners showing interest to be a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and that could be one of the reasons why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on September 21 informed they have decided to extend the date for purchasing the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the right to own and operate one of two proposed new IPL teams document till October 10 from the initial deadline of October 5. Speaking to ANI, sources in the know confirmed the interest shown by Manchester United owners. The source said,

"Well yes, it is true that they have shown interest and that may be one of the reasons why the dateline was extended by the BCCI. IPL is not just restricted to India, it is a global entity now."

The last time the BCCI conducted bidding for new franchises was back in 2015 when the Rising Pune Supergiants and the Gujarat Lions replaced Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals who received two years suspensions. The Sanjeev Goenka-owned consortium won the bis for Rising Pune Supergiants and chose Pune as the home ground while the Delhi-based mobile phone manufacturer Intex chose Rajkot as the home ground for Gujarat Lions.

Espncricinfo had earlier reported that the minimum bid price for each of the new franchises will be INR 2000 crore (USD 270 million approx) and that there are six cities in the fray including Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati and Cuttack. The BCCI in its release said that detailed terms and conditions governing the submission and evaluation of bids including eligibility requirements, the process for submissions of bids, proposed new teams’ rights, and obligations, etc. are contained in the ‘Invitation to Tender’ (“ITT”) which will be made available on receipt of payment of  INR 10 lakhs.