RPS and Gujarat Lions will go out of IPL next year : Keshav Bansal

"As we speak today, the contract states that the two new teams Pune and Gujarat will go out, so that's the fact of the matter. When we bought the team, it was very clear that we will be buying it only for two years and after two years, these two teams will go out and the other two will come back, so that's the way it is," Bansal told Crickbuzz.

However, despite the existing scenario, Bansal did admit that given a choice he would love his Gujarat side to continue their stint in the IPL, owing to his side's journey in the tournament, over the last two years. "For sure, the intention is there. When we bought the team it was a different scenario, today it's a different scenario, I'm quite attached to IPL personally and professionally both so I think the economics and all the other factors should be feasible, so given a chance we would love to (continue)."

Earlier, the RM Lodha Panel had suspended the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings for their involvement in the 2013 match-fixing scandal; and subsequently, five bidders had come forward for the ownership of the two new teams. Further, while the New Rising consortium chose Pune as their base, Intex became the owners of the other franchise and made Rajkot their home.

Moreover, before the player auction in February, the two franchises were part of a player draft to pick five players each from a pool that consisted of players who had previously played for the Super Kings and the Royals. In their respective debut seasons, the Supergiant finished in second last place with just five wins from their league games, while the Lions had finished the group stages at the top of the table but failed to make it to the final owing to losses to the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoffs.