Exclusive: Split season for IPL very much on the radar, Dhumal says

There is a surfeit of T20 cricket waiting to be unleashed for cricket fans around the world from February – first with the T20 World Cup from 7 February to 8 March with the IPL following it from 26 March to 31 May. The proximity of the two marquee events raise a question about a possible cricket fatigue during the two-month long IPL, but it’s head honcho Arun Dhumal is not unduly perturbed.

The IPL chairman, whose tenure has seen a number of key rule changes like the impact players or a cap on foreign players’ fees, feels the schedule is something beyond their control. ‘’The IPL has a fixed window from the ICC so that players from most countries can participate in it. The league follows the World T20 alright but given the competition level in IPL where there are no easy matches, we are not worried about the IPL losing on audience or eyeballs,’’ said Dhumal.

Speaking to National Herald in a telephonic interview, Dhumal said that the IPL has evolved in it’s own way to be able to create a loyal audience – irrespective of the proliferation of other leagues and the PSL’s (Pakistan Super League) growth and now it partly overlapping with IPL fixtures. The next target before the IPL, hence, is to increase the number of matches from existing 74 to 94 games by 2028 when the next media rights cycle kicks in.

A total of 94 matches, which can ensure a scenario where all 10 franchises play each other twice on home-and-away basis (now it’s only teams with top seedings and from the same group who play each other twice), but will require a longer window. “Yes, we are mulling a split window to make that possible – otherwise you will have to host too many double headers. However, it’s still a work in progress and our plan is if we can find a window around September-October before the Australian season, we can go for it. There are several other factors to ponder upon like monsoon coming into play,’’ Dhumal reflected.

The 2025 season of IPL, meanwhile, had been a challenging one for the backroom boys of the IPL as it was a rare case apart from Covid when the league had to be put off by over a week due to the Operation Sindoor in the wake of Pahalgam massacre. The build-up to this year’s edition has been marred somewhat with the Mustafizur Rehman row, but Dhumal wanted to steer clear of the controversy. ‘’I think the BCCI should be better placed to answer that,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the mini auction in December also grabbed the eyeballs in the way uncapped Indian players have had a windfall – with the twin deal of allrounder Prashant Veer and wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma turning heads as the conservative Chennai Super Kings snapped both up for a record Rs 14.2 crores each. Such big pay cheques are unusual for newcomers even by IPL standards and raises question as to whether the youngsters are capable enough to such a large money.

Asked to comment on it, Dhumal felt such price tags – on the other hand – can be a great motivation for the smalltown boys. ‘’See, these players have become smarter and are more responsible now. They know that their shelf lives are short and the rewards come in only if they perform. I will not take names but there are no dearth of examples who have failed to live upto the promise and fallen by the wayside,’’ said Dhumal, who previously served the BCCI as a treasurer during president Sourav Ganguly’s tenure.

Meanwhile, he feels that Harmanpreet & Co’s triumph in ICC Women’s World Cup last November will certainly rub off on the viewership of WPL, which got underway on 9 January. ‘’It’s been a truly transformational moment in Indian cricket,’’ Dhumal said, but adding that they don’t have any immediate plans to increase the number of teams from five.

 ‘’We are in no hurry as we need to consolidate the WPL brand first. The success will surely spur on more young girls from the heartland of India to take to the sport - much like what 1983 did for men’s cricket and provide the supply line. Then only we can think of adding more teams,’’ he signed off.