Is South Indian actor Mohanlal trying to buy the 9th franchise for IPL 2021?

Almost two-month long thrilling 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) came to an end on November 10 with Mumbai Indians (MI), captained by Rohit Sharma, lifting the title for the fifth time, beating the Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After wrapping up IPL 2020, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already started preparing for the 2021 edition of the T20 extravaganza.

A few days back, former Indian captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has stated that the cricket board is planning to host IPL 2021 in the month of April and May in India. With not much time left, BCCI is looking at the logistics and other factors to conduct IPL 2021 auctions as soon as possible. The auction generally takes place in the months of December and January, but it could be delayed this time.

It is learned that the Indian board has informally indicated to the franchises that the auction would be scheduled early in 2021 and there would be a mega auction as per the original plans. Also, reports suggest that BCCI has plans to add a ninth team for the 2021 season to compensate for the financial losses it had to undergo owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mohanlal captured in the stadium during MI vs DC final

Another development in this is that the Malayalam movie actor Mohanlal and mobile application BYJU’s are the prime contenders in the race of becoming the owners of the ninth IPL team. It is also speculated that Mohanlal’s visit to Dubai during the final between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals was regarding the same matter.

Before the highly-anticipated final between MI and DC commenced, the cameras captured the South Indian filmstar in the stands at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It was informed that the actor had flown to Dubai for a holiday with his family and just came to the stadium to watch the live game.

However, according to the journalist Rajaneesh, Mohanlal had paid a visit to the stadium to bid for the new IPL team. The actor is officially planning to connect with the T20 Championship by becoming the owner of the ninth team.

“So there is more to what meets the eye in Mohanlal’s Dubai visit for the IPL final. Buzz is that Mohanlal, along with BYJU’s, is bidding for an IPL team. Nothing official so far though.” Rajaneesh tweeted.

So there is more to what meets the eye in Mohanlal's Dubai visit for the IPL final.

Buzz is that Mohanlal, along with BYJU's, is bidding for an IPL team.

Nothing official so far though.

— Rajaneesh (@vilakudy) November 11, 2020