IPL team auctions

Even as the one day series against Sri Lanka gets underwayin Rajkot, more material decisions pertaining to IPL III will takeplace during the IPL Governing Council meeting on December 17. IPLCommissioner Lalit Modi told sportzpower that he is taking a proposalto increase the eight team city franchise to 10 in season 4 to thegoverning council for their approval. Once approved the meeting willthen take a view on the dates for the auction. A tender process willbe implemented and as Modi said, 'we hope to close it in the first fewmonths of 2010.'

Modi had earlier told sportzpower that the two new franchises wouldhave a base price of anything over $200 million. Moreover, the IPLteam is now preparing for the player auction on January 19. At Goaduring the IPL 2.0 auction, it had been decided that there will be noplayer auction for season three, but as Modi explained, "Becauseearlier we thought there will be not enough spots for an auction. Butit seems many franchises have freed spots by buyouts. Thus an auctionis imperative."

This opens the doors for the entry of new players in season 3. Allthese important decisions will be taken at the crucial IPL GoverningCouncil meeting. This comes at a time when Modi himself is on slightlyshaky ground given that he has lost the RCA elections for the secondtime in a year.