New IPL teams to be based in Pune and Rajkot

Pune and Rajkot will host two new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket for the next two years. They’ll replace Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals who were suspended earlier this year following an illegal betting scandal. The Pune team is backed by New Rising, a consortium led by the Sanjiv Goenka group, while mobile manufacturers Intex bagged the Rajkot franchise. Big-name players and attractive salaries have made the cash-rich IPL hugely popular since its launch in 2008. But it has been under the cloud of corruption allegations in recent years.