BCCI in talks with ICC over a longer window for IPL, confirms Jay Shah; number of matches set to increase

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has bigger and better plans for the Indian Premier League (IPL) after pocketing a staggering amount of money for the tournament’s media rights for the next five-year cycle. Disney Star and Viacom18 broke the bank to secure the TV and digital rights respectively for the next five seasons of IPL in India. The BCCI is now in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to expand the IPL in the near future.

The richest T20 league in the world, IPL has been attracting the best players from across the world to ply their trade in the tournament since its inception in 2008. It is arguably one of the best cricket events in the world at present and is expected to grow further in the coming years.

IPL is currently a 10-team tournament and consisted of a total of 77 matches in the 15th edition of the tournament this year. However, the BCCI is planning to increase the duration of the tournament as well as the number of matches played every season. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the board is already in talks with the ICC and its member nations to expand the IPL.

Also Read: Listing world’s most lucrative sports leagues after IPL media rights auction

“We have been talking with our fellow Member Boards and the ICC about having a bigger dedicated window for the IPL. The IPL is a marquee event on the annual cricket calendar, and it is now only behind the NFL. The quality of cricket that you witness in IPL is world-class with senior international stars coming and playing with and against their Indian counterparts,” Shah told Cricbuzz.

“Not just cricketers but the IPL has some legends of the game now turning up as coaches. It is a fantastic platform and benefits everyone as the experience one gets here is priceless. There will be an increase in the number of games as we go ahead,” he added.

IPL used to be an eight-team affair before the 2022 season. However, BCCI added two new teams – Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans to the fray this year making it a ten-team event. The number of matches in the tournament is expected to go up to around 84 games per season from next year onwards.

Also Read: Dinesh Karthik: The finisher who is far from finished

BCCI pocketed a total sum of around Rs 48,390 crore (USD 6.20 billion approx) from the e-auction of the media rights of the IPL for the next five seasons. The value of each game in the IPL is now worth around $14.61 million which is second to only the NFL where every game is worth $17 million.