Thakur, Shukla meet IPL team representatives

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur and Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla met with representatives of six IPL franchisees here on Wednesday to update them on the recommendations proposed by the board's working committee for the next two years of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

"We are making constant efforts to keep our stakeholders involved at all levels. It was important for us to take the franchisee on board and let them know about our discussions and recommendations and our reasons behind those recommendations with regards to vivo IPL season 2016 and 2017. The franchisees expressed satisfaction and support towards the IPL. We are committed to deliver the best of IPL editions in the years to come," Thakur was quoted as saying in a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

During the meeting, the franchisees were informed that the IPL will continue to remain an eight team event during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and bidding for the two new teams for these editions will start after the BCCI's annual general meeting on November 9. They were also briefed about the modalities of the player auction for the next two IPL seasons.

The BCCI had announced on October 18 that it will induct two new teams into the IPL after Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned for two years for their officials' involment in corruption and match fixing.

Officials from all the other six IPL outfits -- Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab -- attented the meeting.

"It was a very fruitful discussion. We briefed the franchisee about the steps to be taken by BCCI regarding the two-year suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Their feedback is valuable to us and they appreciated the solutions suggested by the IPL working group which were later recommended by the BCCI working Committee," Shukla said.