MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the first pick by the new Pune franchise while Rajkot chose batsman Suresh Raina at the Indian Premier League draft for the next two seasons on Tuesday. The western Indian cities of Pune and Rajkot were named as home to two new franchises for the next two years, filling the void left by the two-year suspensions on the Chennai and Rajasthan franchises following an illegal betting scandal. Players from the two suspended franchises were made available in the draft, allowing the two teams to pick five players each. New Rising, a consortium led by Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, bagged the Pune team while mobile manufacturers Intex made a successful bid for Rajkot in a reverse bidding process, the Indian Cricket board (BCCI) said last week. Pune, having made the most successful bid, got the first pick and went for the 34-year-old Dhoni, who led Chennai in all eight previous seasons of the IPL. Australia captain Steve Smith, South Africa’s Faf du Plessis and India batsman Ajinkya Rahane and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin were the other players selected by Pune. New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum will play for Rajkot, who also added Australia all-rounder James Faulkner, former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo and India’s spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Both franchises will lose 390 million rupees ($5.82 million) from their total purse of 660 million for next year’s IPL auctions in which the remaining players from the suspended team will be added to the pool. The Twenty20 league, with a $3.5 billion estimated brand value and boasting Bollywood stars and major conglomerates as investors, has been dogged by corruption allegations for years. In July, a panel set up by India’s top court recommended suspending the franchise owners of the two teams following an illegal betting and spot-fixing scandal surrounding the IPL, the ninth edition of which will be played from April 9 to May 29. ($1 = 67.0150 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Ed Osmond) 

Dhruv George is a Senior NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports, with an impressive record of over 14K articles. From F1 driver Pierre Gasly to Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino, Dhruv has interviewed several racers, establishing himself as an authoritative voice in the world of motorsports. He not only writes engaging content but helps connect readers with some of the biggest racing names thanks to his ability to churn out exclusive interviews.

Dhruv's ambition extends beyond writing, as he aspires to host a successful motorsports podcast with some of the biggest stars in the industry, like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. When he's not writing about Stock Car Racing, he can be found reading and writing fan fiction.

Dhruv George

Dhruv George is a Senior NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports, with an impressive record of over 14K articles. From F1 driver Pierre Gasly to Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino, Dhruv has interviewed several racers, establishing himself as an authoritative voice in the world of motorsports. Dhruv's ambition extends beyond writing, as he aspires to host a successful motorsports podcast with some of the biggest stars in the industry, like Kyle Busch.

Dhruv George | Senior NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports

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Dhruv George is a Senior NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports, with an impressive record of over 14K articles. From F1 driver Pierre Gasly to Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino, Dhruv has interviewed several racers, establishing himself as an authoritative voice in the world of motorsports. He not only writes engaging content but helps connect readers with some of the biggest racing names thanks to his ability to churn out exclusive interviews. Dhruv's ambition extends beyond writing, as he aspires to host a successful motorsports podcast with some of the biggest stars in the industry, like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. When he's not writing about Stock Car Racing, he can be found reading and writing fan fiction.

https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Dhruv-George-1-96x96.png

Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports,
having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR,
Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the
Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1
driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino. He has been an ardent
follower of motorsports sport since 2001, holding Carlos Sainz Jr. and McLaren
in high regard.

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India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks on before the coin toss before the third one-day international cricket match against England at Trent Bridge cricket ground, Nottingham

India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks on before the coin toss before the third one-day international cricket match against England at Trent Bridge cricket ground, Nottingham - EssentiallySports

India&#8217;s Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks on before the coin toss before the third one-day international cricket match against England at Trent Bridge cricket ground, Nottingham

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IPL History

IPL 2019 is almost upon us and the fans are gearing up for season 12 of the cash-rich tournament. This year, 8 teams will be contesting the league and vying for the title.

The series kicks off on the 23rd of March, through April and ends on May 19th. The opening match will be defending champions, Chennai Super Kings against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

The Super Kings are currently the most successful IPL team along with the Mumbai Indians, with three wins each. Kolkata are next with 2 wins. The inaugural winners were the Rajasthan Royals back in 2008.

Tournament Format?

The IPL schedule 2019 is planned in such a way that only the dates for the first two weeks has been released. However, owing to the 2019 general elections, there may be further changes.

Just like in the English Premier League and every other football league, each team plays their opponent twice. Once in their own home ground and once in their opponent's home ground. In simpler terms, CSK are facing RCB in Chennai on Saturday. The next time the two meet, it will be in Bangalore.

However, with the general elections looming, it is more than likely that this format will be thrown for a loop.?Instead, some matches will be held at neutral venues for security reasons.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115630" src="http://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IPL-logo.jpg" alt="IPL" width="1600" height="779" />

Teams

There are 8 teams contesting the 2019 IPL season. They are, the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. Delhi were formerly known as the Daredevils, but ahead of the coming season, they felt a need for a change.

There were also a fair number of former teams as well, who have now become defunct. They are, the Deccan Chargers, who were succeeded by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They were part of the original teams, but dissolved after 4 years.

Next came the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who joined in 2010 lasted only till 2011. The Pune Warrior India debuted around the same time as Kochi but managed to hold out until 2014 before dissolving. Then in 2016, after Chennai and Rajasthan were banned for 2 years, the Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiant arose from their ashes. Sadly, they too were dissolved when CSK and RR returned to the fray in 2018.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150985" src="http://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_2018-11-17-21-58-54-996.png" alt="" width="715" height="358" />

Locations

There was a lot of speculation surrounding hosting the IPL amid the Indian general elections. Rumours were abuzz that IPL 2019 could be held abroad just like in 2009 and 2014 respectively.

However, the BCCI later confirmed that the tournament will remain in India alongside the elections. Their plan is to schedule a few matches on neutral venues on certain days to avoid conflict.

One thing is for sure, the crescendo surrounding the league will soon reach a fever pitch and the fans are eager to get things started.

How will things pan out this season? Will CSK or MI break the deadlock? Will KKR make it a three-way tie? Will it be some team else? Will RCB finally lift the trophy? Will the name change really mean a change of fortune for Delhi Capitals?

IPL History IPL 2019 is almost upon us and the fans are gearing up for season 12 of the cash-rich tournament. This year, 8 teams will be contesting the league and vying for the title. The series kicks off on the 23rd of March, through April and ends on May 19th. The opening match will be defending champions, Chennai Super Kings against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. The Super Kings are currently the most successful IPL team along with the Mumbai Indians, with three wins each. Kolkata are next with 2 wins. The inaugural winners were the Rajasthan Royals back in 2008. Tournament Format? The IPL schedule 2019 is planned in such a way that only the dates for the first two weeks has been released. However, owing to the 2019 general elections, there may be further changes. Just like in the English Premier League and every other football league, each team plays their opponent twice. Once in their own home ground and once in their opponent&#8217;s home ground. In simpler terms, CSK are facing RCB in Chennai on Saturday. The next time the two meet, it will be in Bangalore. However, with the general elections looming, it is more than likely that this format will be thrown for a loop.?Instead, some matches will be held at neutral venues for security reasons. &nbsp; Teams There are 8 teams contesting the 2019 IPL season. They are, the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. Delhi were formerly known as the Daredevils, but ahead of the coming season, they felt a need for a change. There were also a fair number of former teams as well, who have now become defunct. They are, the Deccan Chargers, who were succeeded by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They were part of the original teams, but dissolved after 4 years. Next came the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who joined in 2010 lasted only till 2011. The Pune Warrior India debuted around the same time as Kochi but managed to hold out until 2014 before dissolving. Then in 2016, after Chennai and Rajasthan were banned for 2 years, the Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiant arose from their ashes. Sadly, they too were dissolved when CSK and RR returned to the fray in 2018. Locations There was a lot of speculation surrounding hosting the IPL amid the Indian general elections. Rumours were abuzz that IPL 2019 could be held abroad just like in 2009 and 2014 respectively. However, the BCCI later confirmed that the tournament will remain in India alongside the elections. Their plan is to schedule a few matches on neutral venues on certain days to avoid conflict. One thing is for sure, the crescendo surrounding the league will soon reach a fever pitch and the fans are eager to get things started. How will things pan out this season? Will CSK or MI break the deadlock? Will KKR make it a three-way tie? Will it be some team else? Will RCB finally lift the trophy? Will the name change really mean a change of fortune for Delhi Capitals?