The idea of two new teams in the coming season of the IPL is all set to be approved by the BCCI. Reportedly, the approval will be given in the board’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to take place on December 24.
However, this is not the first time the cash-rich league will see 10 teams participating in it. The 2011 edition of the IPL also saw 10 teams fight it out for glory while the next two seasons had nine teams. Earlier, it was reported that only one team will be added to the mix in the coming edition while the 10th one will be added in the season after that. But now, with the board almost certain to give the nod to two teams, IPL 2021 is ready to become a 10-team extravaganza.
If two more teams are added, the format of the IPL is also likely to change. The league stage which had 14 matches with 8 participating teams, will have to be increased to 18 with the inclusion of two more teams, making the tournament a lengthy affair.
But according to TOI, there will be a complete change in the format with the organizers bent towards the one used back in 2011. As per the 2011 format, 10 teams will be divided into two groups of five with all the sides playing 14 matches in the league stages – facing the other four teams in their group twice (home and away), facing four teams in the other group once and then the remaining team twice.
The groups were determined by conducting a random draw. The draw also decided which team plays against the other once or twice. The process is definitely a complicated one but had saved a lot of time for the BCCI.