IPL-III to begin on March 12

The third edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on March 12 in Hyderabad, the BCCI announced on Thursday.

The final will be held at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on April 25.

"The matches are going to kickoff in Hyderabad on March 12. The third place match will be held at D Y Patil stadium on April 24, while the final will also be held at the D Y Patil stadium on April 25," IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said after the IPL Governing Council's meeting.

The semi-finals will be held at Bangalore, he added.

Modi said two new franchisees will be added to the current tally of eight teams from the fourth season of the IPL in 2011.

"There will be two new franchisees with a minimum bid price of USD 225 million. They will come into operation in 2011. We will follow the same process for the new teams as during the first auction," he said.

Modi announced that the auction for the fourth IPL would be held between the third and fourth quarter next year.

"The auction for 2011 onwards for the teams will take place sometime between the third and fourth quarter of 2010 after season three of the IPL and probably after the 2010 edition of the Champions League because we don't want too many changes in the teams during the Champions League," he said.

"The current franchisees will be able to keep a certain number of players. The modalities are being worked out and we will announce that shortly," he added.

Modi said the IPL governing council has decided to remove the rule that restricted a franchisee from having more than two Australian players in their ranks.

"There was a restriction being imposed on having two Australian players in a team. The governing council has removed those restrictions," he said.

Modi indicated that few players had been traded by the franchisees in the ongoing trading period.

"As you know trading is to finish day after tomorrow. Few trades have taken place. We will announce that as soon as the trading is finished," he said.

On the participation of Pakistani players in the next season of IPL, Modi said, "Unfortunately the trading window began, they could not participate in it. There is auction window coming up and the Pakistani players will be put up at the auction."

The auction has been announced on January 19, with the upper limit being decided at USD 7,50,000 by the governing council, he said.

Modi will remain IPL Chairman till 2012

Scotching speculations that a move is afoot to oust IPL Chairman Lalit Modi from the post, the BCCI has said he is doing an excellent job as the IPL chief and will continue till 2012.

"Somebody's fertile brain came up with the idea that Modi is being removed as the IPL Chairman and a conspiracy is being hatched among myself, my secretary and treasurer and Farooq Abdullah," BCCI President Shashank Manohar said after the IPL Governing Council's meeting.

"I am very sorry to say that the picture being painted by the media people in their news reports and in their channels are absolutely baseless and false.

"Lalit Modi is doing an excellent job as the IPL Chairman and Commissioner. He is appointed by the general body till 2012 and there is no reason or power or authority in either of us to remove Modi," he said.

"There has to be some continuity and I want to make it clear that Modi will remain in the post till 2012 and nobody can remove him from that," Manohar added.

Modi's future as the Chairman-cum-Commissioner of the IPL looked uncertain after reports surfaced that key BCCI officials, including secretary N Srinivasan, were plotting to oust him from the management of the Twenty20 extravaganza which is considered his brainchild.

Manohar's clarification, however, puts an end to all those surmises and makes it clear that Modi's job is safe till 2012