The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is actively considering expanding the IPL season to 94 matches from 2028, but has no plans to introduce new franchises in the near future, Chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Arun Dhumal has said.
The league expanded to its current 74-match format in 2022 following the sale of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchises. Initial plans to grow to 84 matches for 2025 were delayed owing to a scheduling crunch around the tournament’s window and the broadcasters’ aversion to too many double-headers, but expansion remains on the table in the medium term.
The IPL’s window in the future tours programme (FTP) are locked in for the next two years, running from mid-March until the end of May. But Arun Dhumal, the IPL’s chairman, told ESPNcricinfo that the BCCI will seriously consider an expansion to a full home-and-away, 94-match format for the next media-rights cycle, which will start in 2028.
“Definitely, that might be an opportunity,” Dhumal said. “We’ve been discussing in ICC, we’ve been discussing in-house in BCCI. Given how the interest of the fan is changing with regard to bilateral and ICC events, in regard to franchise cricket and T20 cricket, we’ll have to talk more seriously about it and see how we can create maximum value for the stakeholders of the game.
“Ideally, we’d want a larger window, or to maybe go on from 74 to 84 or 94 at some point… So that every team gets to play against every team home and away, for that, you need 94 games.
“Given the window and the kind of commitments that we have with regards to bilateral cricket and ICC events, that may not be possible in the short term. But given the landscape, how it is changing and evolving over the years, maybe at some point in time we would look and take that option.
“There’s been so much cricket: we came back from Australia from a Test series, we had this Champions Trophy, and on top of that we have this IPL. That is why it was decided that it doesn’t make sense from going from 74 to 84 [in 2025], but whenever we think that the time is opportune, we’ll take that call.”
The duration of the IPL’s window will form part of the discussions next year when boards thrash out the details of the next FTP. Officials at multiple franchises have told ESPNcricinfo that they would prefer a 94-match season, but an increase would likely depend on broadcaster interest in India.
TV and streaming numbers typically drop midway through the IPL season, which broadcasters privately attribute to viewer fatigue. The 2025 edition will stretch to nine weeks, with 12 double-headers scheduled, and an increase to a full home-and-away season would likely require two more weeks in the international calendar.
There are no immediate plans to increase the number of franchises, despite investor interest. “Ten is a good number for now,” Dhumal said. “Paramount is the interest in the tournament and the quality of cricket that we play… I don’t see any scope in the short term. Going forward, with how this whole landscape evolves, we’ll take a call accordingly.”
Dhumal described the IPL 2025 season as a success, hailing the “competitive spirit” among teams and the emergence of several young Indian players. He also believes that it would be good for the IPL to have a first-time champion this season, with Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and LSG all in the mix for the playoffs at this stage.
Source: ESPNcricinfo
--Agencies
