The next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held from April 9 as two new franchisees — Rajkot and Pune — were added to the event as replacements for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).

The tournament will begin five days after conclusion of the ICC World Twenty20 which will also be hosted by India.

The ninth edition of the hugely-popular but controversy-marred League will conclude on May 29.

The Pune franchise was bought by Kolkata-based business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka’s company New Rising, while the Rajkot bid was won by Intex Mobiles.

Rajkot and Pune will have draft picks on December 15 and Pune will get to pick the players first.

The new teams will pick from among players, who were part of CSK and RR. Players from CSK and RR will be divided into two groups of capped and uncapped and the top names will be sold through the draft system.

The two new teams will have a minimum of Rs 40 crore and a maximum of Rs 66 crore to buy their players. The cricketers who will remain unselected will go to general pool to be available for fresh auction, scheduled for February 6 in Bengaluru.

Both the CSK and RR will be allowed back in the league after serving out their suspension.

The BCCI also announced that the Franchise workshop will be held in Srinagar on January 13 and 14.

Appreciating the marvellous performance by India in the Test series against world number one side South Africa, the Board also announced an award of Rs 2 crores for the team.

India blanked the Proteas 3-0 in the four-match series.

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