The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals is very motivated to announce that the team is ready to expand its fan base by including Guwahati, Northeast India.
The IPL Governing Council has extended support to the team's aspiration to play and expand footprints of cricket in the region and gave the go-ahead to play matches at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, Assam. Rajasthan Royals are playing two home matches in Guwahati, rather than three, to give an extra sheen to their home base and fortress in Jaipur.
The team will play against Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders on April 5 and April 9 respectively in Guwahati.
The beneficiary fans of the Northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, have a great passion for sports.
Rajasthan Royals thanked Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for their support of being part of One India One Cricket.
"RCA under the youthful guidance of a young leader like Vaibhav Gehlot, we hope will support this inclusive action for NE India both physically and digitally and should join hands with Rajasthan Royals in their endeavor to popularise cricket in a new geography, and embrace the Rajasthan fans to come and witness IPL matches both in Rajasthan and Assam," said Ranjit Barthakur, Executive Chairman for Rajasthan Royals.
Royals reviewed multiple stadiums including Trivandrum, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai to play their optional home matches, however, Guwahati came out of the process as the most appropriate fit for growing the reach of the franchise.
More From This Section
"Jaipur is our home and will continue to be so with the support of the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The magnificent backing that we get from the fans in Rajasthan is unparalleled and it is something that keeps us going in our ambitions to further expand our fan-base in other parts of the country. During a season, we are allowed a maximum of three matches at another venue, like we have done in the past in Ahmedabad and Mumbai," said Manoj Badale, lead owner of Rajasthan Royals.
"However, last season, we witnessed the enthusiasm of the people from the Northeast when the young gun of Assam, Riyan Parag played many impactful innings for our team. The stadium is top quality and therefore we feel the time is right to grow our Royals' family and get the love and support from fans across the Northeast," Badale added.