The MCC has confirmed it has explored the possibility of joining a consortium bidding to buy an IPL franchise. There are two new franchises, which will be revealed on March 7, up for grabs with 12 Indian cities in the running.
Bidding starts from a base price of US$225m, more than four times the US$50m base price that the original eight franchises were auctioned for in 2008. Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, previously announced that "a very famous football club in the UK is very interested in bidding" but that has so far proved little more than speculation.
It would be a major boon for the MCC, and chief executive Keith Bradshaw travelled alongside Anthony Wreford, a trustee of the club, to India for a weekend of talks with consortium members and IPL officials. Discussions also included the ongoing partnership with the IPL to promote the MCC Spirit of Cricket campaign in the tournament.
"MCC has a proud history, is respectful of the game's traditions and always mindful of its role as guardian of the laws and spirit of cricket," said Bradshaw. "We would not pursue a path that we believed was contrary to the best interests of the sport or to the future health of Test match cricket.
"Undeniably, the game is changing. MCC, as an innovative, independent cricket club, wants to be at the heart of that change. Playing cricket is something that we have quite a bit of experience in - we compete in over 450 matches every year around the world and currently have a men's team in the UAE and a women's team in Trinidad & Tobago.
"The concept of MCC involvement in the IPL is something I believe is worthy of thorough investigation, and something that we'll take to our committee for their deliberation."