As the Indian Premier League is aiming to establish a complete home and away format in the league, there will be an expansion in the league window which could result in lesser bilateral series. The IPL is currently a 74-game tournament and a BCCI source suggested that they are looking to increase the number of games to 94. This move suggested by the BCCI could result in the devaluing of international matches and promotion of franchise cricket. It would be interesting to see if this idea could turn into reality and if that’s the case, the entire cricketing scenario would change.

"We also need to see the feasibility of bilateral series going forward. Every country has their own league, they are not entirely dependent on hosting the India series. So, we need to see the feasibility of bilaterals going forward. The broadcaster is already not seeing value in some of the bilateral series being played. If cricket has to go the soccer way, all boards need to buy into it," said a BCCI source on the possible transformation that cricket could undergo.

BCCI weighs major structural overhaul to accommodate IPL

The major issue that the BCCI is facing in the expansion of the tournament is time as the international schedule is packed with bilateral series. Almost every country has a franchise cricket league of their own and that just results in tight schedules for matches to be held. The value of bilateral series has also reduced considerably according to the broadcasters and this could gravely affect international cricket. The kind of model they are trying to adapt in cricket is more of a football like one, with more club matches than international matches.

The IPL commissioner, Arun Dhumal had already stated that the BCCI is eager to expand the tournament to a 94-game system with a complete home and away set of fixtures. Another major issue is the frequency of ICC tournaments due to which its value could be slightly reduced. Every year, the ICC is hosting a global event and there other continental tournaments as well that are hosted by the likes of the Asian Cricket Council. The football model could suggest an international event every couple of years which could be an experimental one. 

As of now, the BCCI is considering going through all of these possibilities and they haven’t finalized a decision. This could be one of the most important decisions that could be made in the context of the sport as it could result in a massive structural revamping. The entire model could take some time to be formulated and cricket fans will be hoping that the traditional system won’t be harmed.