The excitement is palpable.
Gujarat has finally found its spot in the IPL. There will be an official Ahmedabad IPL team this season and Gujaratis across the world are already grooving about it speculating highly in the satta market whether it will be Hardik Pandya or Shreyas Iyer who will captain this brand new team.
The BCCI handed over the letter of intent (LoI) to the CVC group which has purchased the team for over Rs 5625 crores that amount to over $56.25 Billion.
Sources say that Ishan Kisan and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan could be the draft picks. The mega auction is likely to be held in the second week of February and the Ahmedabad team will have to give three names before the auction. This includes the names of two native players and one overseas player. These names have to be submitted to BCCI before January 31. The mega auction is likely after February 14.
Lucknow also has got its own team. KL Rahul is almost certain to take over as the captain of the Lucknow team.
The Ahmedabad team transaction was delayed following complaints that the owner CVC has offshore betting links but the BCCI has now given a green signal. Ashish Nehra could be the Ahmedabad team coach.
CVC, private equity and investment advisory firm with approximately US$111 billion in secured commitments since inception, had won the bid for the team for INR 5625 crore at a walk-in bidding event in Dubai last year but controversy arose upon the emergence of their investments in betting companies outside India, bringing into question the BCCI’s due diligence.
David Warner, who has had a sour relationship with his previous franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), will reportedly be drafted in by the Ahmedabad-based franchise into their squad before they bid for the remaining players from the available pool during the mega auction.
After a poor season for SRH in IPL 2021, Warner hit his purple patch in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in UAE. He was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for amassing 289 runs at an average of 48.17.
Gujaratis are also expecting that the Ahmedabad IPL team gets launched in a mega manner at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium which is the biggest cricket stadium in the World.
January 31 is the last day for Ahmedabad and Lucknow to announce their first three players.
Leg-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Rahul Chahar are also in demand since both Ahmedabad and Lucknow grounds have wide boundaries.
2022 being an election year in Gujarat, a win by Ahmedabad IPL played in the Modi stadium could largely boost up the already charged up BJP in Gujarat.
This story will be continuously be updated!
