Two new IPL teams to be announced today; Naveen Jindal working with Odisha govt for Cuttack team

Mumbai/Bhubaneswar: Closed bids were submitted in front of the office-bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Dubai on Monday for two new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.

The BCCI had announced this year that the IPL will be expanded from eight to ten teams. Six cities have been shortlisted out of which two will make it to the cash-rich tournament. The six cities are Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Lucknow and Ranchi.

Interested parties include English Premier League heavyweights Manchester United’s American owners, the Glazer family, who arrived in the UAE on Sunday.

According to reports, the Adani Group is vying for the Ahmedabad team. The RP-Sanjiv Goenka group are also rumoured to be interested in owning a franchise.

Close to home, industrialist Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), has approached Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for a franchise in Cuttack.

“The government of Odisha will wholeheartedly back the franchise in Odisha as it has backed every other sport over the last many years,” said a source quoted by TOI.

After the bids are submitted, the BCCI will closely examine the terms of reference before declaring the two new franchises.