IPL's Future: Two More Franchises, 74+ Matches, More Concerns Around ICC FTP

[MenInG]

The Indian cricket board’s plan to accommodate two more franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2022 season is likely to leave cricket boards around the world worried as an increase in number of teams will mean the tournament will be extended by 10-15 days to accommodate more matches. The extended phase will overlap with Future Tours Programme (FTP).

According to Hindustan Times, the tournament will become a 74-match event with teams divided into two groups of five each.

“We are not ready for 94 matches yet," HT quoted a BCCI official. “Our broadcasters are not ready. There are issues around overseas player availability and finding a suitable window. We will consider a bigger window in future years."

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has no official window for the IPL which means that teams playing series during IPL dates either have to make do without their IPL-bound players or they have to plan their series outside the IPL schedule.

“A lot of series are lined up in March and June 2022, the months in which the tournament (normally played across April and May) could be extended to in case of increase in the number of matches. That has to be taken into consideration," said a former member of the IPL Governing Council to IANS.

The ICC, which has no dedicated window for the IPL since it is a domestic event, confirmed to IANS on Monday that the upcoming meeting of its Board on July 15 will not have the extended IPL on its agenda.

It means that the boards will have to sort it out on their own.

India and eight other countries, that send players to IPL, will be playing in the months of March, May and June next year as per the ICC’s 2018-2023 FTP.

Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, India, New Zealand and Afghanistan are scheduled to play international cricket in March 2022 while England and New Zealand are expected to play cricket in May, 2022.

Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, India and England are scheduled to play in June and July.

Although Pakistan, Netherlands, Ireland and Zimbabwe are also scheduled to play international cricket during the phase, their players don’t feature in IPL. Pakistan players are barred while other three teams’ players don’t generally find takers from IPL franchises.

The current FTP schedule has been made till March, 2023. The 50-over World Cup will be held in India in the months of February-March. It means that the IPL 2023 may have to leave out March start and may have to extend the IPL 2023 to June.

As of now Ahmedabad looks to be certain to get a new franchise.

On Monday, a report in the Times of India said that the BCCI has already prepared a blueprint for accommodating two new teams.

It said that the tender documents for new franchises will be out in mid-August, the new franchises will be introduced in mid-October, mega auction will be held in December while tender document for media rights sale will be brought out in mid-January.

RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group as well as Adani Group are expected to be frontrunners to buy the two new franchises.

Here is a list of tours as per ICC FTP for 2022 & 2023 that may overlap with the IPL:

2022

February-March: Australia’s tour of Pakistan (2 Tests, 3 ODIs & 3 T20Is)

March: Bangladesh tour of South Africa (2 Tests, 3 ODIs); India’s tour of New Zealand (3 ODIs); Afghanistan vs Australia in India (3 ODIs)

April-May: Ireland tour of Zimbabwe (1 Test, 5 ODIs, 3 T20Is)

May: England tour of Netherlands (3 ODIs)

May-June: New Zealand tour of England (3 Tests)

Jun-July: Australia tour or SL (2 Tests & 5 ODIs); Bangladesh tour of West Indies (2 Tests, 3 ODIs & 3 T20Is), NZ tour of Ireland (1 Test & 3 ODIs), India tour of England (3 ODIs & 3 T20Is)

2023

Feb-March: ICC World Cup

https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/...hes-more-concerns-around-icc-ftp-3928853.html

 

[Varun]

Best case scenario, the IPL overexpands like a dying star and kills itself.

 

[MenInG]

Best case scenario, the IPL overexpands like a dying star and kills itself.

Question is how many other 'things' will it take down with it?

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Have three matches a day like euros. Problem is solved

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Thats 74 matched that I wont be watching.

 

[Yasir_ch]

Rabb Da khauf karo BCCI and India.IPL will kill cricket eventually.IPL is worst thing ever happened to Cricket.

 

[Ab Fan]

The only solution to stop IPL is to shelve T20 cricket. It is impossible for IPL to not happen if T20s continues in this universe.

However, if T20s get shelved, IPL will themselves become meaningless as Indian and overseas players all will prioritise Tests and ODI cricket and ultimately IPL will be abandoned after a couple of years of losses. It is a bitter truth but a logical one.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

The only solution to stop IPL is to shelve T20 cricket. It is impossible for IPL to not happen if T20s continues in this universe.

However, if T20s get shelved, IPL will themselves become meaningless as Indian and overseas players all will prioritise Tests and ODI cricket and ultimately IPL will be abandoned after a couple of years of losses. It is a bitter truth but a logical one.

Its about as sensible as me saying let's shelve India to cancel the IPL.

 

[Ab Fan]

Its about as sensible as me saying let's shelve India to cancel the IPL.

I would just suggest to think beyond emotions and accept the reality. If T20 continues, IPL will surely continue.

 

[krikit]

I have thought of an ideal IPL format

-12 Teams - add Ahmedabad, Lucknow, a NE team, maybe a team from central India, either MP or Vidharba
-66 league matches (compared to 56 now). Play each other once. Reverse fixture next year
-6 foreigners per XI - this still leaves us with 60 Indian players compared to 56 now which either way is stretching the limits of even our talent pool. Overall quality of the league will not deteriorate and might even improve and will certainly increase the international flair with every single major player in the world playing

Each team only plays 11 league matches instead of 14 which is the only negative point but otherwise its profit

 

[speed_thrills]

12 months long IPL is the solution.

Both, players and audience will have an option of what to play and watch at all times.

 

[Mamoon]

Great news.

IPL, along with the WT20, is the highest form T20 cricket in the world. In fact, it is also better than most bilateral ODIs.

 

[UzmanBeast]

IPL's expansion means that most T20 leagues around the world will start dying.

However, if international teams put their priorities in place, and stop their players from going, it will keep IPL within manageable limits.

I personally don't really watch too much IPL apart from the big fixtures, but it is very entertaining.

I hope that it doesn't interfere with the WTC or upcoming cricketing events.

 

[Last Monetarist]

The March-June window is almost here, extending that to January-June is but the work of a moment. A six-month IPL window is an inevitability, and there's nowt the ICC can do to stop it.

 

[Rajdeep]

Best case scenario, the IPL overexpands like a dying star and kills itself.

But when a star dies, it turns into a blackhole and traps everything around its vicinity. So if IPL dies, it will also take most part of international cricket with it just like a blackhole.

 

[Rajdeep]

International cricket apart from ICC events is a dying sport. Only 4-5 teams are competitive and rest are there to fill numbers. In 10-15 years from now, most of the cricket calendar will only have league cricket. International cricket will only limited to test championship and other ICC tournaments (ODI WC, CT, T20 WC).

 

[Technics 1210]

This is fantastic news!

We've already witnessed ECB reigning in their players for prioritising IPL over more important and prominent series (cough cough Eng vs Pak), and now with more IPL teams, wider schedule , ECB will be cracking that whip in no time.

Of course you add The 100 into the mix, you can see what ECB are euphemistically saying - national and domestic duties above international tamasha leagues - plus you get paid more, and on time.

Love it.

 

[Saj]

There will come a time where T20 leagues will come first and international cricket will be an afterthought for most players.

The calendar will also be dictated by T20 leagues.

 

[Varun]

The March-June window is almost here, extending that to January-June is but the work of a moment. A six-month IPL window is an inevitability, and there's nowt the ICC can do to stop it.

Imagine 6 months of IPL with 2 games a day in smoggy India. Who are the guys who pay to watch this stuff?

 

[Last Monetarist]

Imagine 6 months of IPL with 2 games a day in smoggy India. Who are the guys who pay to watch this stuff?

Younger generations, I presume, not you and I sadly. Legacy fans will slowly be pushed away by the administrators, it's already happening.

 

[Rajdeep]

This is fantastic news!

We've already witnessed ECB reigning in their players for prioritising IPL over more important and prominent series (cough cough Eng vs Pak), and now with more IPL teams, wider schedule , ECB will be cracking that whip in no time.

Of course you add The 100 into the mix, you can see what ECB are euphemistically saying - national and domestic duties above international tamasha leagues - plus you get paid more, and on time.

Love it.

You dont understand, do you? ECB reigning on their players to participate in off cycle IPL. It was an anomaly this year due to the covid situation and wont happen every time. IPL will get a seperate window from ICC to avoid this clash. If boards still schedule international cricket in that official IPL window, players will choose IPL just like SA players has done this year.

Also, what has The100 got to do with it? 100 is suppose to happen in July and IPLs window is between Apr-Jun. Atleast try to make a bit sense.

 

[Titan24]

Window of 1.5 months was already a bit too much in my opinion, 2 months would be a lot. I think there always comes a stage with anything where the returns start to diminish after a growth beyond certain point, so it would be crucial for BCCI to determine that point and dont go beyond it.

I think another thing to note would be when will be the breaking point of the other boards. Yes the players earn good money but, the major source of the boards is through bilateral international series and their own leagues along with ICC tournaments as well ICC handouts. If that window keeps on squeezing for them it would start to impact their overall revenue at some point.

 

[thelandofthebravepeople]

There will come a time where T20 leagues will come first and international cricket will be an afterthought for most players.

The calendar will also be dictated by T20 leagues.

I agree with this.
Eventually cricket will be dominated by T20 leagues and players will go on national duties like football.

There will be a small window for England, Australia and India to play test cricket.

 

[Rana]

I agree with this.
Eventually cricket will be dominated by T20 leagues and players will go on national duties like football.

There will be a small window for England, Australia and India to play test cricket.

Easier said than done.

IPL depends on brand image of international players who have established themselves through consistent international performances. It won’t work if players are playing around 10 intentional matches a year

 

[U$ofA]

I agree with this.
Eventually cricket will be dominated by T20 leagues and players will go on national duties like football.

There will be a small window for England, Australia and India to play test cricket.

Eventually? Judging by the reactions on this thread and multiple other IPL threads, it is already happening.

 

[U$ofA]

If the schedule is expanded into June, the only players I see affected are the English. Their cricket season is well and truly on in June.

Aus/NZ players will be free. WI/SA players couldn't care less about their international duties. The BD, SL players are minimal. So Eng players are the ones that will lose their millions of $$$.

So I am sure the IPL will tweak the schedule enough to move things earlier in March to keep the English players for the entire competition.

 

[Giannis]

I've never seen a single game of the IPL, this won't appeal to non-Indians. If this isn't a global event then it shouldn't be entitled to a "special window".

 

[volcyz]

More awesome cricket to watch, can’t wait!

 

[U$ofA]

I've never seen a single game of the IPL, this won't appeal to non-Indians. If this isn't a global event then it shouldn't be entitled to a "special window".

I agree. This is a domestic tournament catering to Indian audiences. It should be left to the IPL authorities to conduct it as they see fit. Should not get any kind of window. Neither should the ICC or any other entity have any kind of say on when the IPL is conducted.

But what continues to surprise me is the amount of people who want IPL abolished. I mean, its just a domestic tournament. Let it be conducted as and how the IPL authorities want. The IPL is just as free to make decisions as the ICC and the cricket boards are.

Also,

 

[Giannis]

I agree. This is a domestic tournament catering to Indian audiences. It should be left to the IPL authorities to conduct it as they see fit. Should not get any kind of window. Neither should the ICC or any other entity have any kind of say on when the IPL is conducted.

But what continues to surprise me is the amount of people who want IPL abolished. I mean, its just a domestic tournament. Let it be conducted as and how the IPL authorities want. The IPL is just as free to make decisions as the ICC and the cricket boards are.

Also,

Yeah but then the IPL can't use players that are contracted to any of the member boards of the ICC, therefore any player that foregoes national contractual obligations for the IPL could end up getting banned (if there is no window or special exemptions), it would essentially be a rebel league.

 

[U$ofA]

Yeah but then the IPL can't use players that are contracted to any of the member boards of the ICC, therefore any player that foregoes national contractual obligations for the IPL could end up getting banned (if there is no window or special exemptions), it would essentially be a rebel league.

This is between IPL, the player and his board. No one else. If the three parties are in agreement then everything is good. No else has any say in it. Including the ICC. The three parties are free to make their choices.

 

[Giannis]

This is between IPL, the player and his board. No one else. If the three parties are in agreement then everything is good. No else has any say in it. Including the ICC. The three parties are free to make their choices.

That's what I'm saying, if the ICC and its affiliated boards decide not to release a player to play in the IPL then that player can't play unless he violates his contract and chooses to play in the IPL which would result in him getting banned for playing for that board and any of its member boards/associations (state and county level teams). Without a special window, the IPL's growth is at the mercy of the ICC and its member boards, if they hypothetically all ban their players from going to the IPL then there won't be any foreign players and that takes away most of the league's value.

 

[U$ofA]

That's what I'm saying, if the ICC and its affiliated boards decide not to release a player to play in the IPL then that player can't play unless he violates his contract and chooses to play in the IPL which would result in him getting banned for playing for that board and any of its member boards/associations (state and county level teams). Without a special window, the IPL's growth is at the mercy of the ICC and its member boards, if they hypothetically all ban their players from going to the IPL then there won't be any foreign players and that takes away most of the league's value.

I think you and I and everyone else for that matter, know that what you are saying is just hypothetical and will never happen.

Should look at reality. The reality is Aus, NZ, SL, BD are all very much on board the IPL train. WI and SA have zero control over their players. The PCB is shut out of IPL so not an issue. Which leaves the ECB. The ECB will have some reservations but will eventually come to some of a deal. The revenues from a BCCI tour is a huge revenue stream for them to lose out on.

That is the reality of the situation currently.

 

[OMB]

Ok back to the topic. No replies please

 

[mastimasti]

So the IPL will be played in March, May and June, with the gaps coinciding with various international series.

In all honesty this over expansion is a bad idea, because when the big boys of England, Australia and NZ have to choose between the IPL or fulfilling their test duties, we know what they will choose. English players have already turned down IPL or shortened contracts in the past. With that, the IPL loses some of its best brand names, because heaven knows the best aren't exactly the sauntering mess of Indian players we see today.

These people are running before they can walk.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

In all honesty this over expansion is a bad idea, because when the big boys of England, Australia and NZ have to choose between the IPL or fulfilling their test duties, we know what they will choose. English players have already turned down IPL or shortened contracts in the past. With that, the IPL loses some of its best brand names, because heaven knows the best aren't exactly the sauntering mess of Indian players we see today.

These people are running before they can walk.

I don't think it makes a difference in the grander scheme of things. As long as IPL has the big Indian stars and a handful of international talent, it is capable of drawing both viewers and sponsors.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Question : How can IPL commit suicide?

My answer : By eating international cricket calendar.

Would love to know other's answers.

 

[shah_1]

Money triump everything these days.

 

[U$ofA]

Money triump everything these days.

It's called living in the real world/reality!

 

[Cricfan4eva]

IPL is the future.

Test cricket even with WTC is dying format. Without a doubt anyone can say there's just 3 to 4 sides that can make it to next WTC final.

T20 on other hand opens up the game in brings in side like Afghanistan in the mix too. 10 years before, who'd have thought Afghanistan will be qualified for WT20 while SL will have to play qualifiers? That's how open and unique T20 Cricket is.

Test cricket is going to be but a niche format for rich boards where there are enough fans to monetize it.