Last Updated on 20 minutes ago by Charbel Coorey
There will be no extension to 94 matches anytime soon for the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. In an exclusive interaction with PTI, Saikia confirmed that the format of the tournament will remain the same with 74 matches in the upcoming edition of the league.
The statement came on the back of the ongoing speculations regarding a massive expansion for the IPL’s landmark 20th edition. The BCCI secretary emphasised that the board is primarily focused on two key areas: managing players’ workloads and ensuring synchronisation with the international cricket calendar.
Why a Longer Tournament Wouldn’t Work Right Now – BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia
The BCCI secretary said the decision not to expand the itinerary of the tournament is a question of world cricket logistics. With tremendous difficulty, international bodies and other member nations secure a two-month window each year. The league cannot be extended beyond the present timeline because other boards are constantly scheduling bilateral series and international commitments.
Saikia said that having 94 matches would need a much longer window which would definitely impact the Future Tours Programme. He believes it is key to protect the interest of all global stakeholders by retaining the 74-match structure.
“So, at this moment there is no discussion regarding increasing it from 74 to any further matches up to 94, which is not happening immediately,” he said.
“In course of later years I do not know what will be the position. But right at this moment I don’t see any possibility of increasing it from 74 to 94. Because for that, not only India is to be considered but the interest of other cricketing nations of the ICC especially players from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa all are playing in this tournament … West Indies … so we do not want to upset their bilateral matches also and other international pictures including various other multi-country tournaments.
“So, at this moment I don’t see any chance of increasing it beyond the window of two months, which will accommodate only about 74 matches with a lot of double headers during the run-up to the tournament.”
IPL 2027 likely to start earlier due to oppressive heat
The length of the tournament is kept intact but a change in the scheduling awaits. IPL 2027 is likely to kick-off two weeks earlier than usual, in a bid to protect players and fans from extreme weather conditions during summer.
“This year, IPL started around the 29th of March, and it was over by the 31st of May,” Saikia told PTI. “The only thing we are discussing is that during the fag end of the tournament, after 15th of May, there are issues regarding the weather, particularly in some areas, there is apprehension of having rainfall or the pre-monsoon season starting or on the other hand, there are warm weather, hot conditions, which are not very conducive either for the players or for the crowds or the fans.
The BCCI secretary has said that the cricket operations team has been asked to look into the feasibility of this accelerated timeline. Completing the tournament by the middle of May will avoid the severe heatwaves that are a feature of the north and west of the country and will reduce the possibility of pre-monsoon rain interruptions in the knock-out stages.
“So, there is a discussion going on in BCCI as well as in our IPLGC regarding whether we can start the tournament a little bit earlier than the fag end of March,” Saikia added. “From next year, we’ll make an effort and I have already instructed our general manager games development to look for the windows whether we can start it by 10th of March so that we want to conclude it by 15th of May so that there is no adverse weather conditions in the run-up to the final stages playoff and the finals of the IPL 2027 which will be the 20th edition of IPL.”
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