BCCI approves 10-team IPL from 2022, board to back cricket's inclusion in Olympics

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday approved a 10-team Indian Premier League (IPL) from the 2022 edition at Thursday's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ahmedabad.

There was another major development at the AGM as the BCCI will support cricket's inclusion in the Olympics. BCCI has decided to back the ICC's bid for the inclusion of cricket, in the T20 format, in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics "after getting some clarifications from the International Olympic Committee", as reported by PTI.

Since the inception of the IPL, never has the tournament witnessed 10 teams battle it out for the trophy with nine franchises being the maximum number reached in 2011, 2012, and 2013 editions.

The IPL 2021 will be played with the regular eight teams and bids will be accepted for the addition of the two new teams from the 2022 campaign.

"At this point, the 10-team IPL, if BCCI intends to conduct it in 2021, will be a hurried one given that the tendering process and a mega auction will be difficult to organise in such a short span of time. It is only fair that the approval is taken and the big 94 match tournament is held in 2022," a senior BCCI official said on the eve of the meeting.

At the AGM, it was also decided that all First-Class players, both men and women, will be suitably compensated for the curtailed domestic season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After several months' delay, the BCCI is preparing to resume the domestic season in the country, starting with the T20 tournament Syed Mushtaq Ali championship in January.

In other decisions, veteran Congress leader Rajiv Shukla was officially appointed the Board's vice president in place of his protege Mahim Verma from Uttarakhand.

It is also understood that the general body decided in favour of Sourav Ganguly continuing as a director in the ICC Board. Meanwhile, Secretary Jay Shah will be the alternate director as well as India's representative at the Chief Executive Committee meets of the global body.

Meanwhile, women's cricket was also discussed and the Indian cricket board came to the conclusion that women's domestic season will also begin next month, at the end of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The interviews to pick the new national selectors are underway and the results of the same will be announced soon.