IPL (Indian Premier League) chairman Arun Dhumal said that from 2028 onwards, the tournament can be played in a proper home-away format. Each team will play nine home games and the same number of away games in a season.
During the eight-team IPL, each team played seven matches at home and seven away. However, after the IPL is expanded to 10 teams in 2022 Lucknow Super Giants And Gujarat Titans, the format has been changed. The teams play 14 matches (seven home and seven away) after being divided into two groups of five.
Dhumal said that increasing the total number of teams in the tournament would make no sense at the moment. Instead, the focus has been on reviving the original home-away format, with 18 league matches for each team.
“With the given set of teams, only we can go for a greater number of matches,” India Today quoted Dhumal as saying, reiterating what he had said last year.
“So there is no point in increasing the number of teams right now. Because if we want the same number of home and away matches, we can go from 74 to 94. That would be the ideal situation,” he said.
So, a total of 94 matches will be played in an IPL season. This will be possible only if BCCI can get a long window to host the tournament. Another option is to have multiple double headers. However, this format is generally disliked by broadcasters due to fragmented viewership and low advertising revenue.
The current bilateral calendar is locked till 2027, leaving the BCCI with a limited time frame of 60 to 65 days. It is expected that the BCCI may negotiate a dedicated window for two and a half months in the next ICC cycle, effectively banning international cricket, so that the world's leading franchise T20 leagues can get some relief.
“Since bilateral matches are closed till 2027, we will need a bigger window to increase the number of games from 74 to 94. So we are looking for a bigger window after the 2027 bilateral cycle. If we can do that, we will definitely try to have 94 games,” Dhumal said.
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