Why Ahmedabad is probably the sports capital of India? | Bombay Sports Stock Exchange
The rest of the teams are yet to start training for the 19th edition of the IPL. The Mumbai Indians players, currently absent from the T20 World Cup and Ranji Trophy final, are expected to start the DY Patil T20 tournament.It is incomprehensible that IPL franchises could not find suitable training facilities in their own city or state. Even considering some of the venues reserved for the T20 World Cup, it is difficult to explain how, for example, Gujarat Titans could not find a base in Baroda, Saurashtra or Surat. Or how PBKS could not camp in Mullanpur, Mohali or Dharamsala. Similarly, DC had potential options like GMR Aerocity Ground or Palam which BCCI uses for its own tournaments.This is the equivalent of Londoners Arsenal going to Manchester United’s Carrington complex to prepare for the English Premier League season.At a time when IPL franchises’ ongoing goals should be to grow the league, stay connected with home fans and build a team culture, the last thing you want to do is fly hundreds of kilometers away.With IPL 2026 almost four weeks away, it is the perfect time for franchises to start making their foundations. Let the fans soak in and make some noise. All things considered, for example, a cricket fan in Australia knows well in advance where their Big Bash League team will play, and some of the more enthusiastic ones would turn up in droves for training sessions as well.Instead, IPL franchises and the powers that be are further alienating their fan base. How does it bode well for the IPL as a brand that its teams choose to train tens of thousands of kilometers away instead of having a firm foothold in the city they call home?This also comes at a time when some IPL franchises don’t even have a confirmed home base to start the season in the last week of March. As reported by TimesofIndia.com, defending champions RCB have been asked to “exhaust other options first” before considering Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium as their home.Although not yet officially confirmed, it took weeks for Rajasthan Royals to agree to host four of their home matches in Jaipur and the rest in Guwahati.Apart from them, Punjab Kings regularly played their home matches in New Chandigarh and Dharamsala. Delhi Capitals have called both Visakhapatnam and Delhi ‘home’ in a single IPL season.The whole idea of franchises playing in two different “home” locations is disrespectful to the original city. It negates the prospect of fan engagement, something that obviously starts with the training sessions themselves.KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo emphasized the importance of fans last season when controversy erupted over the franchises not getting a favorable pitch.
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Should IPL franchises hold their pre-season camps in their home cities?
“What helps home advantage is the fans. I think that’s more important than how the pitch plays. I can’t comment much on the pitches, but once the fans come into the game, cheer us on, it makes the difference,” Bravo said.Former India player Aakash Chopra agreed. “The home advantage is real and it only comes in two forms: one is the surface you choose and the other is the support of the crowd that’s there. Besides, it’s an outdoor game.”But if franchises continue to treat cities as interchangeable pit stops, the IPL risks becoming a traveling spectacle with no real home.