Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah said they were thinking about increasing the number of IPL matches from present 74 in 2025. He also stressed that such an expansion was included in the BCCI media rights and sponsorship contracts, but it should accommodate players’ workload.
The sponsorship contracts proposed an increase to 84 matches in 2025-26 and plan to increase it further to 94 matches by 2027. An 84-match IPL could mean that an additional week would be needed for the tournament, which may require additional franchises as well.
“We have not taken a call on organising 84 matches in IPL 2025 since we also have to factor the load on the players due to the increase in matches,” Shah told the press on Wednesday, as quoted by the Economic Times. “While it’s (84 matches) part of the contract, it’s up to the BCCI to decide whether to organise 74 or 84 matches.”
Sources were cited by Economic Times stating that Star India and Viacom18, the owners of the TV and digital rights, prefer retaining only 74 matches as they are afraid the viewers might get tired if the famous tournament is enlarged. At the same time, it was also reported that those who own franchises would like to have an additional 10 matches since it would result in them getting more money.
Jay Shah discusses the potential for a mega auction
Similarly to tournament expansion, discussions regarding a mega auction for 2025 season and the maximum number of permitted retentions has not yielded a clear conclusion yet, despite meetings held between owners of franchises. Shah’s comments implied that the board members are still indecisive and attempting to reach consensus.
“Some franchises are in favour of a mega auction since it will give them an opportunity to build a strong team. Some franchises don’t want a mega-auction since they already have a strong team. Both consistency and shuffling are important,” he said.
With numerous important decisions ahead, the coming months are expected to be both busy and intriguing for Indian cricket.
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