IPL 2018: Sawai Mansingh Stadium to host matches this year

The Indian Premier League (IPL) fever is on and the auction is just round the corner. The broadcasters have made it a point to reach a wider audience this time around. IPL is set to be telecast in six different languages while it is also making a debut in VR. With the fan parks also gaining prominence, the tournament is just getting bigger year after year.

While few of the franchises have established home grounds and loyal fan base, others have had to change their home grounds due to various issues. After the completion of a two-year suspension – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two more home stadiums will be back hosting matches. The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will the home for Super Kings while the Royals there still was uncertainty whether Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur will be cleared to host matches.

BCCI lifts the ban

However, the ban on Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has been lifted by the BCCI and Jaipur is all set to host IPL games from this season. The official announcement may just be around the corner as the owners are expected to confirm it on the 2018 IPL auction day. We have seen in the past that franchises like Kings XI Punjab have opted to play few of their games in their second home due to unavailability of the stadium for various reasons.

The eleventh edition of the IPL will kickstart on April 7 with Mumbai Indians featuring in the first encounter. But before that, the mega auction will be held on January 27 and 28 that will see over 500 players going under the hammer.

Rajasthan Royals are going to the auction with a purse of 67.5 crores and three Right to Match cards. This is a big budget in comparison with the other teams who chose to retain more than one player. They had earlier retained just one player on the retention day in the form of Australian skipper Steven Smith.

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