Nine teams likely for IPL 2012

The IPL is likely to comprise nine teams in 2012 and players from the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise could be made available to the other franchises through a player auction early next year, ESPNcricinfo has learnt. The 2012 IPL is also expected to return to the home-and-away format of the first three seasons.

The newly formed IPL governing council, headed by chairman Rajiv Shukla, will meet for the first time in Hyderabad on October 14 and the fate of the Kochi players and the tournament's format are the key issues up for discussion. The other issues are whether a new team will replace Kochi, the dates for a trading window and player auction, and the participation of Pakistan cricketers in the league. The IPL management met with franchises individually to solicit their views on these issues.

The BCCI had voted to terminate the Kochi franchise at its annual general meeting last month. The Kochi players' salaries were covered through the franchise's bank guarantee worth Rs 156 crores (already encashed by the BCCI) yet the question remains how leading players, both international and domestic, such as Muthiah Muralitharan, Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene and Parthiv Patel, will be made available to the franchises.

One option is to put the players in a fresh auction. Another is a trading window during which the players could sign with new teams. A franchise official told ESPNcricinfo an auction was the more probable outcome.

The BCCI is likely to stick with nine teams for the time being, despite president N Srinivasan saying in the board's annual meeting that the governing council would decide on whether to issue a tender for a 10th franchise in the October meeting. Nine teams will also make the schedule more manageable. In its attempt to keep a ten-team IPL in 2011 to 74 matches, the BCCI had moved away from a simple home-and-away format. The franchises and the BCCI are in favour of returning to the original format, since the number of games would increase marginally to 76. The franchises also feel the home-and-away system is the fairest option.

The player auction is expected to take place early next year. In addition to Kochi's players, it could feature cricketers from England as well as Chris Gayle, who starred for Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for Dirk Nannes in 2011. The Royal Challengers, however, have the first right to sign Gayle, provided both parties can agree on terms. If Gayle chooses not to sign with the team, only then will he enter the auction. All the teams will be allowed an additional amount to spend on new players, extending the salary cap.

Shukla also said the participation of Pakistan players will be discussed at the meeting, though the final call on whether to buy them rests with the franchises.

As in the past, there will be a trading window towards the end of 2011, with the auction to follow. The teams also have the option of buying out contracts to make space for new players.