By Sudipto Ganguly
MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s opposition Congress party has promised the central state of Madhya Pradesh that it will attempt to give it representation in Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket as it woos voters ahead of next month’s regional elections.
In its election manifesto released on Tuesday, the Congress said it will take strong steps to bring an IPL franchise to Madhya Pradesh if it unseats Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Madhya Pradesh will be among five states that will elect new legislatures next month ahead of general elections due by May 2024, when Modi and BJP will seek a third straight term.
The annual IPL, with an estimated brand value of $8.4 billion, is hugely popular in India. It is one of the richest leagues in the world and has been attracting top players and coaches to India since its inaugural edition in 2008.
The tournament currently has 10 teams from across India but none from Madhya Pradesh, one of the most populous states in the country of 1.4 billion.
But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the custodian of the IPL, has said it has no immediate plans to add more teams.
The BCCI has strong links with the BJP – it is headed by Jay Shah, the son of federal interior minister Amit Shah – while IPL Chairman Arun Singh Dhumal is sports minister Anurag Thakur’s brother.
The IPL added two new franchises in 2022 when promoters of Lucknow and Ahmedabad cities paid a combined 127.15 billion rupees ($1.53 billion) to be part of the money-spinning league.
($1 = 83.2220 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
