IPL 2021: BCCI official suggests increasing overseas' players limit from 4 to 5 amid talks of new IPL team, say reports

New Delhi, Nov 13: Speculations are rife that Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will be featuring nine teams instead of eight. It will pave a way for the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) long-term plan to make the tournament a 10-team affair.

The reports of BCCI planning a mega auction, as well as organising a bid for a new franchise, possibly from the city of Ahmedabad, are doing the rounds in the media ever since the conclusion of IPL 2020 in Dubai on November 10. Holders Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2020 final to grab their fifth title - which is an unprecedented record.

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Buoyed with the tournament's success in the UAE, across three venues and over a period of 55 days, the BCCI is mulling to rake in the moolah and make up for the losses incurred due to COVID-19 pandemic.

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Apparently, most of the franchises are averse to the idea of adding an extra team in the upcoming season for they are yet to recover from the losses incurred this year due to multiple reasons. However, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Manoj Badale recently backed the suggestion of former India captain Rahul Dravid that the time is ripe to expand the IPL in terms of the number of teams. Badale opined that a nine-team IPL in 2021 is "definitely possible".

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Amidst all these talks, a BCCI official has reportedly suggested the board to increase the cap of four overseas players in a playing eleven to five to help the franchises strike a balance. As per the existing rule, any franchise can field a maximum of four overseas players in their playing XI during a match.

"There are quality overseas players who are warming the bench every season because of the restriction. An added overseas player will balance out that need," a Times of India report quoted the BCCI official as suggesting to the board.

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The TOI report also claimed that since the quality of a team's core will be diluted with the expansion of the number of teams from eight to ten, the BCCI will have to ensure that the balance of every side is more or less the same to ensure a level playing field.

"Teams are already finding it difficult to ensure quality. If we look at most IPL squads, around seven to nine players form the core while two to three players per squad are rotated to find the right balance. Now, if eight franchises are increased to 10, that quality further gets diluted. IPL's core - the very essence of having a salary purse every year - is to ensure the overall quality of all eight franchises remains somewhere at the same level, regardless of an individual franchise's spending capacity. If two extra teams draw from the same pool of cricketers at the auction, can the quality be guaranteed," existing franchises have urged the BCCI, claimed the TOI report.