6 Indian cities which have hosted IPL matches but never had a home IPL franchise

The BCCI launched the IPL in 2008, where eight teams, namely Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab competed for the title.

In 2011, the BCCI introduced two new teams, namely Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala. However, both franchises exited the competition after the 2013 season. Sunrisers Hyderabad replaced the Deccan Chargers in 2012, while Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions were part of the IPL in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Now, ahead of IPL 2022, Ahmedabad and Lucknow have joined the competition. So far, a total of 15 franchises have been part of the IPL, but more than 15 cities across India have played host to the IPL matches.

Teams always get a lot of support at their home venues, but in the last 14 years, quite a few franchises have moved their home games to other cities for various reasons. In this listicle, we will look at the five Indian cities which have hosted IPL games but never had their own IPL franchise.

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#1 Nagpur

The Deccan Chargers played their IPL 2010 home games in Maharashtra owing to the Telangana agitation in Andhra Pradesh. The Chargers usually played home games in Hyderabad and Vizag, but in 2010, they hosted their opponents at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium and Nagpur's VCA Stadium.

While Mumbai's home franchise has been the Mumbai Indians, Nagpur has never had its own IPL team despite having a fantastic stadium.

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#2 Ranchi

Ranchi is the home of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni. In 2014, CSK played two home games at Ranchi's JSCA Stadium because of a dispute related to the construction of three stands and a gymnasium at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Fans should note Ranchi also hosted some of Kolkata Knight Riders' home matches during the 2013 season.

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#3 Cuttack

Apart from Maharashtra, Cuttack also hosted the Deccan Chargers' home matches in IPL 2010. Cuttack's Barabati Stadium has so far been used as a home venue by three IPL franchises.

The Chargers used it in 2010, and four years later, both Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders played a few home games in Cuttack. The decision was made keeping in mind the general elections that took place in India in 2014.

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#4 Kanpur

Gujarat Lions played 10 of their 14 matches in 2016 and 2017 at Rajkot's SCA Stadium. Kanpur's Green Park hosted the remaining four matches.

The Lions were the first franchise to take IPL to Uttar Pradesh. The state recently got its first IPL team, but the team owners have picked Lucknow as the base.

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#5 Raipur

Delhi Daredevils played six home matches at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium between 2013 and 2016. The franchise owners requested the IPL Governing Council to move two of their home matches to Raipur ahead of the 2013 season.

The authorities obliged, and IPL entered the city of Raipur. It will be interesting to see if Raipur gets its IPL team in the future.

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#6 Indore

Indore's Holkar Stadium has been home to two franchises. Kochi Tuskers Kerala used it as an alternative home venue in 2011.

Six years later, the Punjab Kings decided to play some of their home games in Indore. Matches at the Holkar Stadium have always been entertaining, and it should not be a surprise if we see an IPL team representing Indore in the coming years.