Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
With the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) underway in the Indian subcontinent, the tournament Chairman, Arun Singh Dhumal recently shared a positive update on the cash-rich league. With the expansion of the premier T20 league being considered since long now, the IPL Chairman recently confirmed that it might see an expansion from 2028.
However, Arun Dhumal clarified that there are no plans to introduce new franchises in the near future, the tournament as whole will see an expansion from the current 74-match cycle. "Definitely, that might be an opportunity. 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,” the IPL Chair said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
No introduction of new franchises; to be expanded to 94-match IPL
While the league expanded to 74-match tournament after the addition of Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022, there were initial plans to further expand the league to 84 matches for 2025. However, the plans were delayed owing to scheduling crunch and some broadcasting rights. "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,” Arun Singh Dhumal added.
It is to be noted that IPL’s window in the Future Tours Programme (FTP) are locked in for two months for the next two years, but with a change possible in coming years, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is eyeing to expand it in the future cycles. "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,” he said.
"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 board member finally concluded.
