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IPL 2022
Discussions about the next season of IPL are underway even before the conclusion of the current season. For example, the next season would feature a mega-auction with teams allowed to retain just three players. The rest of them would go back to the available players' pool. Moreover, the uncertainty about the future of star captains like MS Dhoni, Eoin Morgan, and David Warner will make things more interesting.
Another much-awaited change that would be made is the addition of new IPL teams. There were reports about the mega auction and the addition of new teams in 2021. But the BCCI decided not to implement the changes in the current season. There is high optimism regarding the next edition of IPL despite India being in danger of another possible Covid-19 outbreak.
Previously IPL has seen teams from Gujarat, Pune, and Kochi beyond the eight main teams. Two possible states that can franchise new teams are as follow:
Uttar Pradesh (Kanpur, Lucknow)
UP has been the home state of former and current Indian players like Mohammad Kaif, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, etc. Moreover, emerging IPL stars like Shivam Mavi and Priyam Garg also play in the current UP squad in various formats.
The domestic cricket team usually plays its home matches in Kanpur at Green Park stadium. Thereby, the associated IPL team may have the same home base. Alternative bases include Saifai and Ekana International Cricket Stadium. A team from UP would have a large fanbase and it would help change the future of cricket in UP.
Kerala
IPL players Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, S Sreesanth are from Kerala. It is the only South Indian state apart from Andhra Pradesh to not have its own IPL team. It had a one-season tryst with the IPL as the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
There are many stadiums around Kerala. But two stadiums in the capital city Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi respectively have hosted international matches. Moreover, the Kerala Cricket Association(KCA) is trying to build a stadium in Kochi with a capacity of 50,000 spectators.
There is not enough cricketing vigor in Kerala. The team has also failed to perform in domestic cricket apart from a semi-final appearance in the 2018 Ranji Trophy semifinals. The presence of Kerala in the IPL would probably increase the excitement about cricket in the state.