Manchester United owners show interest in buying new IPL team: Report

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most popular sporting leagues in the world and its popularity has lured the owners of Manchester United football club, Glazer famaiy. The US-based Glazers are reportedly interested in buying one of the two new teams in the IPL.

Two new teams are set to enter the cash-rich league after the auction for the same will take place in Dubai on October 25, a day after the highly-anticipated India vs Pakistan game.

According to a report by The Times of India, the Glazer family have taken up the Invitation to Tender (ITT) document from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, they will have to set up a company in India according to the tender's rules, which allow foreign companies to own an IPL team, if they make a formal bid for the same.

"A lot of people usually pick these tender documents to study and gather information that tends to be otherwise very useful from a larger industry perspective. For instance, buying a bid document will tell me more about what the BCCI is planning next, in terms of the league expansion, etc. For instance, if Disney has bought the tender document to buy the franchise, it doesn't mean Disney is interested in owning a franchise. It will study the document because it has to plan its own media rights landscape," the sources in the know of developments told TOI.

A source said to ANI that the interest of Manchester United owners was one of the reasons for BCCI extending the tender date till October 10, by five more days.

As the two new teams are set to play in the league, a mega action will take place before IPL 2022 as many star players are set to enter the auction after four years.