Indian T20 League 2022 to have more number of games per season; window extended

The Indian T20 League is planning to have an extended 10-week window in the next international calendar, a top Indian board official told Reuters. The Indian Cricket Board is planning to make the move so that all the international players can participate in the cash-rich league.

The Indian Cricket Board’s secretory, Jah Shah has also stated that there aren’t any immediate plans on having more franchises to the 10-team competition.

“We are in discussions with the ICC (International Cricket Council) and several other cricket boards to have an exclusive window for the IPL,” Shah said.

“Let me assure you that there will be a two-and-a-half-month window in the next ICC FTP (Future Tours Program) calendar so that all top international players can participate.”

“Since this tournament benefits all … we have received a positive response from the ICC and other member boards,” Shah added.

Notably, the cash-rich league is currently played for just over 2 months. During this period, not a lot of international games take place. And, as per the development, the league will have more than 90 matches per season from 2027.

The Cricket Governing Body is likely to discuss the 2024-2031 FTP calendar next month.

The Indian Cricket Board, earlier, sold their media rights at an astonishing amount of INR 48, 390 crores for a five-year period. Two franchises, namely Gujarat and Lucknow made their debuts in the recently concluded season. Gujarat went on to lift the title as well. Notably, the final match saw an attendance of 1,00,000 fans at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium.

“Expanding the Indian T20 League further will depend on many factors like expanding the talent pool with no compromise on quality of talent, strengthening grassroots, building the right infrastructure and many other factors,” he said.

Shah also dismissed suggestions that extending the IPL window would disrupt India’s commitment to international cricket.

“The Indian Cricket Board remains committed to international cricket and it’s not just the marquee series like India v England or India v Australia,” he said.

“We want to design a comprehensive calendar where we aim to help associate nations with consistent and regular bilateral tours.”