Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals are eyeing an academy in Bangladesh to broaden their base.
Ranjit Barthakur, the chairman of Rajasthan Royals, alongside a few others from the franchise, visited the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka to inspect the infrastructure, according to sportskeeda.com.
Rajasthan Royals, the champions of the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, are looking forward to inking a deal with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). This will allow RR to have their scouts present in domestic tournaments and pick the raw talent available in Bangladesh.
“We want to open a [Rajasthan] Royal academy in Bangladesh. The plan is yet to be finalised, but we are thinking about [an academy] which can feed the whole IPL from here,” Barthakur said.
"Teams like Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai had looked at Bangladeshi players as potential recruits over the years, and we are definitely looking at them right now. They’ve got grit; they play under very difficult situations, so I think it’s very important,” the Rajasthan Royals chairman added.
Rajasthan Royals' biggest fanbase after Kolkata and Chennai is in Bangladesh, followed by Northeast India. The Jaipur-based franchise are looking to promote the sport in these regions.
