"It’s in the contract.."- Jay Shah gives a huge statement on the expansion of no. of matches from IPL 2025
Published - 16 Aug 2024, 01:28 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:17 AM
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BCCI secretary Jay Shah has finally spoken about the expansion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the next season. Shah claimed that it is in the contract to increase the no. of matches in the league but the players' workload also needs to be considered before making a decision.
While the no. of teams in the IPL has increased from 8 to 10 in the last three seasons, the no. of matches hasn't increased proportionally. Currently, 74 matches are played in the IPL but ideally, there should be a total of 94 matches if each team plays each other once home and away during the group stage.
Currently, the teams are divided into two groups on the basis of pre-tournament seedings. Teams in the same group will face each other twice, once at home and once away. A team will play the teams of the opposite group once, except one team.
Jay Shah gives a huge statement on the expansion of no. of matches from IPL 2025
During a conversation with TOI, Jay Shah said that there has been no decision on the increase in the no. of matches from the next IPL season. Shah added that a decision will be taken by the BCCI after considering the workload of the players.
“Nothing is confirmed. We will collectively decide. We also have to factor in the workload of the players and the window also. It’s in the contract but it is up to the BCCI to decide,” Shah stated.
Huge Challenge for BCCI
The expansion of the IPL could be a huge challenge for the BCCI as the international calendar is packed and players have been constantly complaining of their workload management. With the IPL's expansion, the top Indian cricketers are likely to feature in the league for more matches which will increase their workload.
IPL had expanded from 8 to 10 teams from the 2022 edition of the tournament when Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants were introduced in the league. The tournament has been highly competitive over the years.
Jay Shah speaks on adding an extra team in WPL
Jay Shah also spoke about adding an extra team from the next edition of the Women's Premier League. But a final call on this hasn't been taken as yet.
"Once I'm confident that we can add more women players into the mix, we will add an extra side," Jay Shah said during the conversation.
Currently, there are five teams in the Women's Premier League (WPL). Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz are the five current teams in the league.
Two seasons have been played in the WPL so far and the league has turned out to an immense success. The first season was won by Mumbai Indians while Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted the title in the second season. Delhi Capitals finished as the runners-up in both seasons so far.
