IPL could be split into two halves, suggests Punjab Kings owner Ness Wadia

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selling Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights for an enormous amount, the number of matches per year will also see a rise from the 2025 edition. Currently, the IPL hosts 74 games, which is anticipated to reach 94 per season by the end of the 2023-2027 cycle.

The BCCI earned a total of Rs 48,390 crore from the e-auction that spanned over three days, seeing the likes of Star India (Disney) and Viacom 18 bag the top honours.

Speaking to PTI, Punjab Kings (PKBS) owner Ness Wadia first congratulated the BCCI on a successful e-auction and also wished for more home games.

"IPL has taken cricket to the global level. The IPL has provided the spark cricket needed and made it a global sport. It will get even bigger. Having said that, seven matches at home, it is way too less. It should be a minimum of 14. I really see a much longer season which is long overdue," Wadia said.

He further suggested that the BCCI should work on making the IPL a two-part event, where matches are played in India and overseas.

"If you can't have a long season of four months, why not look at two seasons, one in India and one in a different country every year. Indians are everywhere around the world. There is huge potential for having many more games," he explained.

Recently, BCCI secretary Jay Shah hinted that the board could propose to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a fixed two-and-a-half-month window for the IPL.

Wadia gave the example of the English Premier League (EPL) while explaining why he advocates for more home games in the cash-rich tournament.

He adds, "It is a logical reason. How much are seven matches at home? Too few, in my opinion. There has to be a bigger window. In per match value, the IPL is bigger than EPL now and look at the number of games each team plays there (38)."

With the T20 leagues cropping up every month, the lack of interest in bilateral series is evident across the boards. Cricket is slowly following in the footsteps of football, where club-based tournaments are influencing the sport.

Wadia said that the IPL has helped popularise cricket and hoped that administrators would look at ways to further enhance the viewing experience for the audiences.

"I would say it is already happening. There is no doubt that will eventually happen. The IPL has revived, grown and globalised cricket. And believe me, it is the tip of the iceberg."

"The tournament is around for 15 years, and the window should have become bigger many years ago. It is long overdue. And it will happen. For how long can you keep the genie in the bottle. At some point, we will have to factor in that also. That is where the creativity comes, and we can see how leagues are run around the world. We are long away from fatigue at the moment. We will cross the bridge when we get there," he concluded.