Calcutta: Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, has not ruled out continuing his association with the IPL in the 2018 edition and beyond, even though his Rising Pune Supergiant won't be one of the franchises in the competition any more.

Rising Pune and the Gujarat Lions came on board on a two-year contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. However, with the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals back after a two-year suspension, there won't be place for either of them.

That has been confirmed to this newspaper by Amitabh Choudhary, acting secretary of the Board, who categorically stated that the IPL would only be an eight-team competition.

The Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab and the Delhi DareDevils have been the five constant franchises right through the 10 years of the game-changing T20 league. The Super Kings and the Royals have been around for eight of those years, while the Sunrisers Hyderabad made their entry in 2013.

Asked by The Telegraph if it was a huge regret that he wouldn't any longer be associated with the IPL, Goenka responded in a manner which threw open possibilities: "I don't know whether I will be there or not. Let us see."

When pressed if he had plans to acquire one of the eight existing franchises, Goenka preferred to play with bat close to pad. "It wouldn't be right for me to say anything, except that I enjoyed my two years in the league," he said.

Rising Pune had a poor debut (2016), but finished runners-up in this year's IPL.

Not all the franchises have been well off financially and, so, expect Goenka to pitch for one of those still not comfortable in terms of revenue.

In the field of business, Goenka is known to expand his Group's footprint through acquisitions. Therefore, taking over an IPL franchise would hardly raise eyebrows.

Meanwhile, legendary Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane, who retired from international football a year ago, is set to be Atletico de Kolkata's (ATK's) star signing/ marquee player in the upcoming season of the ISL.

An announcement could be made on Friday.

"We're on the verge of inking the deal with Robbie. Head coach Teddy Sheringham is the one who suggested his name and I'm delighted that we're so close to closing the deal with Robbie," Goenka told this Reporter on Thursday evening.

Goenka is ATK's principal owner and has been taking much more interest in the franchise this time compared to the years gone by.

For the record, ATK are the defending champions. The franchise had won the ISL in the inaugural year, 2014, too.

The following are excerpts from the Keane-specificinterview with Goenka...

Q What made ATK go for Keane?

A Robbie's a great striker and has played competitive football at the highest level for years. He remains supremely fit and is the kind of player who can take the game to new heights. I should add that Robbie, who has firsts to his credit, is excited at the prospect of playing in India in general and Calcutta in particular.

As for Sheringham, what made him suggest Keane's name to you?

Teddy has played with Robbie (at Tottenham Hotspur) and knows him well. That personal factor apart, he sees him as an absolute match-winner and someone who will do well in Indian conditions.

Your expectations from Keane?

Is Robbie good enough to win us three or four matches? My belief is yes. So, you have my answer. It is far better to have match-winners, rather than a team packed with mediocre players. That had been my approach in the build-up to this year's IPL, a belief which made me go all out for Ben Stokes.

Is Keane as expensive as Stokes (Rs 14.5 crore)?

No... No.

Keane is 37... Has he gone through the medicals?

Of course. As I have said, Robbie is supremely fit.

As the principal owner, are you satisfied with the way the ATK squad is shaping up?

Yes.

The franchise no longer has anything to do with Atletico de Madrid, so will the pre-season training possibly take place in England this time?

Details are being worked out.

You've often talked about a team culture or philosophy...

At ATK, the culture is all about winning. That's our philosophy as well.

The last one... Edition No. 4 of the ISL begins in November and will continue till March next year. Won't it be too long a competition?

I do not have an opinion as I have no experience of such a long league. The organisers and broadcaster feel that this is the way forward, so let's see. The schedule would, obviously, suit the players as they will have adequate rest between the matches.