New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) IPL’s founding chairman Lalit Modi has called for a change of the IPL window from March-May to a window between October and April, suggesting the start of the lucrative tournament from January and increasing number of matches to 94.
Modi also drew a comparison to how football leagues run over months, and he also asked ICC chairman Jay Shah to help facilitate the calendar.
The IPL founder stressed that when the tournament was launched in 2008, April and May were the only available opportunity at that time. “You are looking at the IPL today and applying that certainty to the circumstances in which I created it. When I started, there was enormous resistance and scepticism. I took a window nobody wanted and built a competition people wanted to watch. The success we see today was not handed to us.
“April-May was the opportunity available then. It was never a declaration that these were the ideal months for Indian cricket for all time. We began with eight teams and a 59-match schedule. The BCCI subsequently expanded the league to 10 teams. A complete home-and-away competition for 10 teams means 90 league matches and four playoffs. That is 94 matches – 35 more than the original format, an increase of almost 60%,” he said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The 62-year-old further argued that the organisers must create better experience through “sensible timings” to accommodate the increased number of matches. “How do you accommodate that growth in essentially the same compressed period without putting more pressure on players, spectators and everyone delivering the tournament? For families, of course, the holiday period was an advantage.
“But families follow teams, players and compelling cricket. Their interest is not confined to two months. We should build a better experience through sensible timings, weekends and comfortable stadium conditions, while taking school calendars into account. I created the IPL to grow. I did not create it to stand still,” he added.
Meanwhile, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, while speaking to a sports magazine earlier this year, had also suggested dividing the tournament into two windows to get more matches.
As per Modi’s suggestion, a January start would be a major tweak to the international calendar and also to domestic cricket for India, changing the Test cricket schedule and domestic schedule.
“It would require changes. That is precisely why this discussion belongs in the new FTP,” Modi admitted. “My broader position is that we should identify the best window from October to the end of April. January is a concrete starting proposal within that range. I am not asking for seven uninterrupted months of exclusive IPL cricket.
“We need to sit down with the actual fixtures, venues, travel requirements and player commitments and design the season properly. International cricket needs protected blocks. Domestic cricket needs a coherent programme. Players need preparation and genuine rest. You cannot fit a Test tour into a few spare weekdays. But “the calendar would have to change” cannot be the final answer to every proposal. The purpose of planning a new calendar is to improve it,” he added.
Currently, India doesn’t have a problem giving up their international schedule for franchise cricket, and they are able to freely host the international game and then also the IPL. Modi felt that the economics trend is likely to change for international cricket.
“Then assess the economics properly. My assessment is that bilateral and ICC rights income faces pressure in the coming cycle. The IPL is the BCCI’s principal commercial engine and, in my view, its lifeline for future growth. The BCCI should be planning ahead of that risk.
“A change in dates does not automatically mean combining the rights packages or abandoning valuable international cricket. It means deciding how the whole year should work. Calculate the additional IPL opportunity, the international income affected, the costs and the arrangements needed with other boards. Look at the net benefit to cricket.
“Keeping two income streams separate is useful. Keeping the calendar unchanged regardless of how those income streams develop is not a business strategy,” he added.
He also argued that heat and humidity trouble the players, spectators and other stakeholders during the latter part of IPL, further asking the tournament to be moved to the October-April period by “choosing dates and venues intelligently. Conditions differ across India, and April itself can be very hot. That is a reason for detailed planning. We must consider the experience of everyone on the ground.”
The IPL currently has 74 matches scheduled, and increasing it to 94 can also create fatigue among players and viewers. Modi emphasised the problem. “Fatigue is precisely one of the problems I want us to address. There is a difference between spreading a season sensibly and asking viewers to consume more and more cricket on consecutive days.
The 94-match figure comes from a clear sporting proposition: 10 teams, every opponent at home and away, followed by four playoffs. Each team would have nine home and nine away league fixtures. Supporters would get to see every opponent in their own city. The BCCI expanded the league. The calendar should allow the full competition to develop properly.
A longer season gives us room to create a recognisable weekly rhythm, build anticipation and leave breathing space. It also requires us to manage the players’ entire year. More weeks alone will not create rest if we fill every gap with another commitment,” he argued.
Modi also asked ICC chair Shah to help facilitate the tournament, asking him to find a settlement where IPL can be strengthened and giving certainty to the wider game. “His responsibility to world cricket is exactly why I am asking him to use his good offices. BCCI can develop an IPL proposal. Securing an international agreement around it requires someone who understands India’s commercial importance and the legitimate interests of the other boards.
“Jay has the experience to help bring those interests together. He has already contributed to the IPL’s commercial growth. At the ICC, he has the opportunity to help translate that strength into an arrangement the wider game can support. That means listening to other boards, protecting important international cricket and examining fair arrangements for player release and development. The countries producing overseas talent must have a reason to support the outcome.
“I am putting forward an opportunity for leadership. I am not asking him to impose an Indian calendar on everyone else. A settlement that strengthens the IPL while giving the wider game greater certainty could be a defining achievement of his chairmanship. My position is straightforward: we built the IPL for the circumstances we faced in 2008. We should now build its next phase for the circumstances we face today,” he concluded.
–IANS
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