The IPL brand just got more powerful!

Former England captain Michal Vaughan talks of the power dynamics that theT20 tournament will hold, while Australia spin legend and former captain of Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne reckons IPL makes cricket second most popular sport in the world.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is now the most powerful aspect of the game of cricket.

Vaughan's remarks come as two IPL new teams -- Ahmedabad and Lucknow -- were finalised for the next edition of the tournament.

"With the 2 new franchises going for huge numbers it's now very clear the IPL is the most powerful aspect of game now... It's inevitable that we will see more games & longer tournaments. #IPL," tweeted Vaughan.

Former Australia spinner Shane Warne also shared his thoughts on the latest development in the IPL.

"Wow! Congratulations to both of the new franchise owners. Staggering amounts of money for each team & shows why cricket has become the 2nd most popular & biggest sport on the planet. $932 & $692 million dollars (USA). Well done to @SGanguly99 & everyone at the @BCCI on the @IPL," tweeted Warne.

BCCI announced the following successful bidders for two new teams on Monday (subject to definitive documentation and other formalities being completed): RPSG Ventures Ltd. - Lucknow (for INR 7,090 crores) and Irelia Company Pte Ltd (CVC Capital Partners) - Ahmedabad (for INR 5,625 crores).

The new franchises will participate in IPL from the 2022 season onwards subject to the bidders completing the post-bid formalities as specified in the ITT document.

The IPL 2022 season will comprise ten teams and will have 74 matches, wherein each team will play seven home and seven away matches.

BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly said: "The BCCI is happy to welcome two new teams from the next season of the Indian Premier League. I would like to congratulate RPSG Ventures Ltd & Irelia Company Pte Ltd for being successful bidders. The IPL will now go to two new cities in India viz in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. It is heartening to see the inclusion of two new teams at such a high valuation, and it reiterates the cricketing and financial strength of our cricket ecosystem."

"True to IPL's motto of 'Where Talent Meets Opportunity', the inclusion of two new teams will bring more domestic cricketers from our country to the global stage. The ITT process included two interested bidders from outside of India, which strongly emphasises the global appeal of the IPL as a sports property. The IPL is proving to be a wonderful instrument in globalising the game of cricket. I am keenly looking forward to IPL 2022," he added.