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.

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is likely to take the field for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East against the Uganda cricket team on May 30 for a T20 match.

Also read | Suryakumar Yadav’s place in T20I squad under the scanner

The Uganda team is currently on a tour of Mumbai for four one-dayers and as many T20 games. The matches in the T20 format are being played against four separate opponents from the T20 Mumbai League, which begins in Mumbai on June 1, 2026.

“He is a part of the team, so he is likely to play,” MCA secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) during the announcement of the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with Cricket Uganda.

“He is the Indian captain and whenever he plays against any team, it is a morale-booster for any team and it is going to be a good cricket experience,” Khanvilkar added.

The contest on May 30, 2026, between TKMNE and Uganda is expected to be held at the MCA Ground in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

Among the players perceived as the ‘finds’ of the T20 Mumbai League when it was first held in 2018, Suryakumar was retained as an icon player for the Triumph Knights ahead of the auction for the fourth edition of the tournament.

MCA president Ajinkya Naik said the ICC chairman Jay Shah has had a role to play in the agreement with Cricket Uganda.

“Under the leadership of Mr. Jay Shah, he had requested us to host the Uganda cricket team, and we thought it is a great privilege to host a national team here in Mumbai and for our Mumbai players to get an exposure against a national team,” Naik said.

“The Uganda team can come and play matches here, and whenever MCA needs to go and play in that country during our season or even when we have our off-season.” Naik continued, “The players who are playing for the senior team or even the Indian team, they have the exposure. But those who are in the second or third line — the bench strength of MCA — they need exposure. That’s the reason why we are [also] travelling to the U.K. this year, both men’s and women’s teams, and this is an additional opportunity.”

The T20 Mumbai League auction on Saturday saw franchises invest heavily in proven domestic and maidan performers, with a clear tilt towards allrounders and top-order batters capable of influencing multiple phases of the game.

Leading the list was SoBo Mumbai Falcons’ acquisition of Akash Parkar for ₹12 lakh — a move that underlined both intent and recall value. Parkar was among the standout performers of the 2025 edition, and his ability to contribute with both bat and ball made him one of the most sought-after names this time around.