IP-styled league to open in Mumbai
Mumbai’s D.Y. Patil Stadium is likely to host the opening match of the inaugural IPL-style football league that commences from January 18 next year.
“The IMG-Reliance tournament starts from January 18 and will run till March 30, and the first match will be played in Mumbai. Most likely it will be in D.Y. Patil Stadium and a contract will be signed with them in the next few days,” a source said on Monday.
The bidding for the eight franchises in the tournament will be held next month, while the players’ auction — including the overseas players — is scheduled in October.
Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Delhi and Bengaluru are the eight cities where the franchises would be based, while Guwahati and Hyderabad have been kept as reserves.
“All the franchises would be registered as clubs and the corporates who buy the teams will be owners for 10 years,” the source said.
The tournament will feature 22 players in each team, with 10 foreign players, including a marquee player. Each franchise will also include eight domestic players and four local players from the catchment area in the U-23 category.
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