Aspect Sports has been awarded the operating rights for the Navi Mumbai franchise, the newest addition to the T20 Mumbai League, from the 2027 edition.

The franchise, which will take the league’s strength to nine teams, has been awarded for ₹106.88 crore for a six-year period, with the first season carrying a fee of ₹12.21 crore, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced on Wednesday.

It is understood that the average annual franchise fee of ₹17.81 crore is more than 50% of the highest fee than the existing eight franchises in the league.

The addition of Navi Mumbai is expected to expand the league’s footprint beyond its traditional Mumbai base and provide cricketers from the region with a pathway into the competition.

“The expansion of the T20 Mumbai League to Navi Mumbai is a significant milestone in our vision to take the game closer to every corner of the Mumbai cricketing ecosystem,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik said.

“The addition of a ninth franchise will not only broaden the league’s reach but also create greater opportunities for emerging cricketers to showcase their talent on a competitive platform.”

Rajdip Gupta, chairman of the T20 Mumbai League Governing Council, said the ninth franchise would help the league build a “stronger and more sustainable ecosystem” while creating greater value for its stakeholders.

Aspect Sports is owned by Aspect Global Ventures. Its executive chairperson Aksha Kamboj said the organisation viewed its association with the league as a step towards establishing a long-term presence across multiple sporting disciplines.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has invited bids for the right to operate a new franchise in the T20 Mumbai League, paving the way for the men’s competition to expand to nine teams.

The new franchise will represent Navi Mumbai, extending the league’s footprint beyond Mumbai and Thane, and potentially opening another avenue for cricketers from the MMR region.

The move comes less than two months after the completion of the fourth edition of the league in June. The season drew strong interest from spectators and produced competitive cricket, reinforcing the T20 Mumbai League’s position among India’s prominent franchise-based domestic T20 competitions.

The Navi Mumbai franchise will be the league’s first expansion since its inception, to feature nine teams, subject to the completion of the bidding process. League chairman Rajdip Gupta, during the 2026 edition, had stressed that the league will expand its footprint ahead of the 2027 edition.

Interested parties can collect the bid documents from the MCA office at the Cricket Centre, Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate, between August 10 and 25. The documents will be available between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on working days.

The bid documents will be issued against a non-refundable fee of ₹2.5 lakh, payable through a Demand Draft in favour of the Mumbai Cricket Association. Prospective bidders can also make the payment through bank transfer using the account details specified in the tender notice available on the MCA’s official website.

All-rounder Jalaj Saxena will represent Kerala in the 2026-27 domestic season. Jalaj, who played for Maharashtra in the 2025-26 season, didn’t take part in the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) in June. He applied for an NOC and the BCCI approved his transfer, making him eligible to play for Kerala.

The BCCI clearance came on the eve of the Kerala Cricket League player auction. Alleppey Ripples, for whom Jalaj played last season, was quick to retain him for ₹5 lakh. Jalaj was also actively involved in the auction as part of Ripples’ bidding team. 

Mohammed Azharuddeen, former Kerala Ranji Trophy captain, welcomed Jalaj back, stating that his availability will be a big boost for Kerala.

“He is a proven match-winner. We all know the value he brings to the side. We struggled to take wickets last season, and Jalaj will strengthen our bowling in the upcoming season,” he said.

Jalaj, who left Kerala after nine seasons, had taken 25 wickets and scored 164 runs for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy last season. 

For Kerala, Jalaj has taken 352 wickets and scored 3,153 runs across all formats. In the Ranji Trophy alone, Jalaj scored 2,252 runs, including three centuries, and took 269 wickets with 23 five-wicket hauls for Kerala. He remains the only cricketer to score 6,000 runs and take 400 wickets in Ranji Trophy.