The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) this year adjoined two more teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) arena. With 10 teams, including Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the number of matches also went up; 74 were played in the 2022 version. Despite this, the BCCI is planning to make IPL much greater.
As the new phase will take off from the next IPL season, the BCCI is set to increase the number of games to 410, for the 2023-27 phase, with a gradual upsurge in the number of games after every two years.
The BCCI is planning to have 74 games in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Although, the next two seasons will have 84 games. Moreover, as per the reports from Cricbuzz, the final, 2027 season, could have 94 games in a single edition.
Furthermore, the supposed plan has been outlined and shared with potential bidders for the IPL broadcasting and media rights. Unlike this cycle, the 2023-27 phase is prone to have 410 games and not 370.
The Football Way in IPL
There have been a lot of discussions, regarding the extensive window for the India league. Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach recently stated the idea of having two phases of IPL, in a single year.
Shastri said, “It could be tomorrow – 140 games, split 70-70 in two seasons. You never know. That’s the way it’s going to go. That’s the way it’s developed as a beast of a property. And you cannot hide away from that.”
Likewise, Aakash Chopra, a cricket analyst had also followed Shastri’s approach then. Chopra quoted, “I actually foresee there might be two editions of the IPL in every calendar year. And that’s not too far away.”
Besides, there are no official clarifications as far as the broadening of the IPL is concerned. But, the board’s approach clearly expresses their intentions to make the IPL a lot more than it is, for now.
Written by Prachi Pisal
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