The IPL chairman, Arun Dhumal, has said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is seriously considering a full home and away format from the next media-rights cycle starting from 2028.
However, there are no plans to introduce new franchises soon. The league is currently played in a 74-match format in 2022, following the sale of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Initially, the IPL 2025 season is set to be played in an 84-match format, but was delayed owing to schedule crunch around the tournament’s window and 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 are locked in for the next two years, running from mid-March until the end of May.
“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 window will be part of the discussions next year when boards thrash out the details of the next FTP.
He also revealed that there are no 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.”
“Every year, it’s been growing,” Dhumal said. “We are very glad how the fans have loved this tournament, and the broadcast numbers and in-stadia numbers are all phenomenal. We are hoping to carry on with this being a special edition, the 18th edition. We are very sure that it’ll continue to grow in the way we’ve seen over the last 17 years.
“Definitely, I would want somebody who has never won the tournament to lift the trophy this year. DC has done exceptionally well over the last few years, but they’ve not won. Punjab Kings made it to one final, and RCB, off and on, have done well.”
“If some of these teams compete against each other in the final, we’ll know for sure that we will have a new winner, then I’ll be very happy for the tournament,” concluded Arun Dhumal.
