Despite the fact that the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is yet to be played thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe, the talks of the expansion of the league have started again.
There have been suggestions of the league being expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams a few times and according to former IPL COO, Sundar Raman, it seems like the expansion could happen in the next 2-3 years.
“I definitely think that a 10-team IPL is on the horizon in two to three years. There is a need to expand. IPL is a more mature game now than what it was in 2008,” Sundar said in an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport.
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“The amount of infrastructure that’s available, the amount of talent that is available, and the amount of revenue that these players can earn and make a living out of it require some serious consideration – and I would think that it is a requirement of the league for IPL to expand. If IPL has to expand and that’s what will grow the game, why not?” he explained.
Raman also touched on the issue of how the expansion of the league might affect the international cricket calendar. As of now, England players find it difficult to play in the whole league, as it clashes with their national team’s commitments.
Raman, however, believes that some tweaks would require to be made in the international calendar so that no cricket board misses out on its revenue.
“Increasing the IPL could create conflict and therefore the middling boards will not be able to have their international matches. That is something that, yes, being thought of honestly – yes maybe that’s an issue. But how can we make sure that everyone – Pakistan or Sri Lanka or Bangladesh or Zimbabwe – can benefit financially? I don’t know the answer to that. But I believe at some point those questions will be asked and maybe multiple points of view will help us find that answer,” Raman asserted.
Though adjusting an expanded 10-team IPL in the international calendar will be a task in itself, considering the revenue the T20 league generates, it only seems a matter of time before IPL becomes a 10-team event.
