Two new IPL teams: Indian Premier League set to have 12 franchises from 2028 – Report originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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BCCI is reportedly weighing a bigger IPL, with fresh teams possibly arriving in 2028.
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Two Indian cities are said to be front-runners, though the final picks could change.
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Recent franchise sales have pushed valuations sharply upward and drawn interest from global investors.
The Indian Premier League could soon grow into a 12-team competition, with two new franchises reportedly lined up to join the tournament from the 2028 season. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is said to be looking at the possibility of adding at least two sides, which would give the world’s richest T20 league its biggest shake-up since 2022.
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According to a report in Mint, Pune and Vadodara have emerged as the likely homes for the new teams. The discussions are understood to be at a very early stage, however, and the final choice of cities could still change before any official announcement is made.
The timing of the move is also worth noting. The expansion is expected to line up with the next IPL media rights cycle, which will run from 2028 to 2032, and the report says each new franchise could be valued at more than $1 billion.
Interest is said to be growing among Indian business groups as well as international investment firms.
Behind all of this sits an exponential rise in franchise values over the past few years, especially driven by two big ownership deals. Those transactions have made investors far more confident that new teams will fetch premium prices.
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United Spirits, the Indian arm of Diageo, agreed to sell Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a consortium made up of the Aditya Birla Group, Bennett Coleman and Co, Blackstone and Bolt Ventures. The deal values the franchise at $1.78 billion.
In a separate transaction, a group led by the Lakshmi Mittal family and Adar Poonawalla bought Rajasthan Royals at a valuation of $1.65 billion. Together, the two deals have strengthened the belief that any new team will command a high price.
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BCCI/Creimas
Pune is a familiar address for IPL fans, as it has already hosted two franchises in the past. Pune Warriors India, owned by the Sahara Group, played in the league between 2011 and 2013 and later left the tournament after a dispute with the BCCI over franchise fees.
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The city got another chance in 2016 and 2017, when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended. Rising Pune Supergiant took their place for those two seasons and went all the way to the 2017 final, where they lost to Mumbai Indians by a single run.
Mint says a long list of investors is already watching the situation. Private equity firm Permira is one of the names understood to be interested, alongside sovereign wealth funds from West Asia and state-backed investment bodies from elsewhere in Asia. US-based family offices and well-known Indian business conglomerates are also said to be keen.
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BCCI will have several things to think about before it commits. The first is the commercial case, which has to make sense for existing franchises as well as for the new ones.
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The second is the availability of top Indian players, because adding two teams means spreading the same pool of talent a little thinner.
Broadcasters will also have a say. More franchises would mean more matches, and that in turn would raise the overall cost of buying the media rights. The current cycle, which covers 2023 to 2027, was sold for $6.2 billion, which makes the IPL one of the most valuable sporting competitions in the world on a per-match basis.
Any broadcaster looking at the next cycle will want to be sure that a larger schedule still adds up financially.
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BCCI/Creimas
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There is a strong case for expansion. India is a massive market with cities that are keen to have a team of their own.
Pune has already shown it can support a franchise. New teams would also create more chances for domestic players, coaches and support staff, and the sky-high valuations suggest that the business world believes the product is still growing.
However, growth brings its own risks. A bigger league means a longer season, and India’s best players already carry a heavy workload across formats. If the talent pool is stretched, the quality of play could slip, and the competitive balance that fans love could suffer.
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The prospect of added matches is also a worry for broadcasters, who will have to pay more for the same window of time.
The BCCI has never been shy about reshaping the league, but it will need to protect player welfare and fan interest as much as it chases valuations. A careful, well-planned expansion could strengthen the IPL, whereas a rushed one might simply dilute what made it special in the first place.
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