Look away cricketers! IPL is expanding to 94 matches a season from 2028 onwards - Report

The cash-rich Indian Premier League will expand from the 2028 season onwards, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal hinted, per the latest reports. The BCCI is considering a full-home-and-away format from the next media-rights cycle, starting in 2028, expanding the number of matches to 94 a season, but without adding new teams to the stacked roster.

The league expanded to its current 74-match format in 2022 after the IPL introduced the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Meanwhile, there were initial plans to grow it to 84 matches a season from this year onwards, but the tournament's schedule crunch and broadcasters’ restriction surrounding plenty of double headers delayed it; however, the league expansion remains part of the plan.

Per a report in ESPNcricinfo, the IPL window (in the FTP) for the next two years is already locked from mid-March till May end; Dhumal’s latest remarks suggest that the Indian Cricket Board is considering further expanding it to 94 matches, starting in 2028. Although the IPL already consumes around two months of the international cricket calendar, should the BCCI and IPL accept the said model, they would need to add another two weeks.

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"Definitely, that might be an opportunity," Dhumal said.

"We've been discussing in ICC, we've been discussing in-house in BCCI. Given how the interest of the fans 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.

"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,” he continued.

Broadcasters in a tight spot over new module

The boards will discuss IPL window duration for the upcoming FTP next year, with officials at multiple franchises expressing keenness in watching the league grow to 94 matches a season; however, the expansion would depend on the broadcaster's interest after the Reliance-Disney merger (to create JioStar) in India.

Considering the TV and streaming numbers usually dip midway through an IPL season, which the broadcasters attribute to viewer fatigue, the expansion would increase the double-headers from 12 (currently) to whatever number from the 2028 season onwards.

Although the growing interest from investors in this new module could push the BCCI to make rapid changes, the board has decided against growing it regarding the number of teams.

"Ten is a good number for now," Dhumal said. "Paramount is the interest in the tournament and the quality of cricket that we play… I don't see any scope in the short term. Going forward, with how this whole landscape evolves, we'll take a call accordingly."