It’s a good news for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) team fans. Finally, the both IPL Franchise teams CSK and RR are on their way for a blockbuster return in 2018’s IPL edition. Franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will make a comeback in the Indian Premier League next year and BCCI is making plans of having a grand welcome for the two.

First ever IPL edition 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals and the two-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings were suspended from the IPL for two seasons in 2016 & 2017 by the Supreme Court following the spot-fixing scandal that erupted in 2013.

The IPL could well head into 2018 on a completely fresh note, especially in the present circumstances with the SC-appointed Committee of Administrators overseeing the day-to-day affairs in Indian cricket. Fans would be happy enough again to welcome their team back next year.

BCCI Quotes:

Having taken a call on how to go about with the media rights auction post the ongoing edition of the IPL, the BCCI is now gearing up to welcome two of its oldest franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals on the very day that it releases the ‘Invitation To Tender (ITT)’ for the above-mentioned rights.

CSK are said to be making grand plans for their return and are in the middle of finalizing events themed around the franchise’s massive fan base.

An official in the know of things said: MS Dhoni, the former skipper at Rising Pune Supergiant, who “seems to have become an unnecessary talking point for all the wrong reasons other than cricket,” will go back to the Super Kings – a team that he had been associated successfully for eight long years – immediately after the end of the 2017 edition.

RR are in the talks with a leading corporate that has an interest in the IPL as of now for a possible stake sale and could return to the tournament from the 2018 edition onwards with a new co-owner. The corporate is looking to extend its stay in the IPL, a tournament that has caught its chairman’s fancy, and is therefore happily engaging itself in all possible discussions right now.

Even Royals too have been looking for new investors in the franchise either as a co-owner or with the idea of selling the team for a while now. For this purpose, the franchise even began working its way towards clearing up a lot of its internal concerns like buying back co-owner Suresh Chellaram’s 49% share in the ownership structure to douse past controversies. Chellaram, for the record, happens to be former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi’s brother-in-law.

So, the leading franchise from the north is in the final round of talks with a corporate that has major interests in the sports industry down south. “Talks have been going on for a while and due-diligence is on at the moment. If everything goes through smoothly, both parties will approach the BCCI for a final ratification and go ahead with the deal,” a source in the know of things said.

Their efforts to buy out Royal Challengers Bangalore a couple of years ago did not materialize when current owners Diageo who took over the team from its past owner Vijay Mallya – decided to continue their stint in the tournament. Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions were part of the Indian Premier League for the first time last year. It should be interesting to watch out what fate they suffer!