IPL Franchises Request BCCI To Play Off-Season Matches In Singapore, Canada And US

Yet again, the franchise owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow them to play matches overseas during the Off-Season. Unlike previous times, this proposal might be one of the topics to discuss during the upcoming general meeting.

The Indian board not allowing the IPL franchises to take part in overseas leagues is one of the concerns raised by team owners. Sources say that the franchises want to play abroad in the off-season, but the BCCI keeps avoiding the matter. For the first time in its 12-year history, the eight franchises of the Indian Premier League is expected to be allowed to play “friendly” fixtures outside of India.

BCCI refuses to even take it up officially:

The decision is one that the newly-formed IPL council is contemplating as part of a brand-building exercise although the teams will not carry any stamp of the tournament of the BCCI, a report in Wednesday’s Times of India stated.

The IPL franchises had participated in Champions League T20, but the tournament was scrapped in 2014 due to poor viewership and lack of sponsorships. Since then the franchises are requesting the BCCI to let them play overseas.

“Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals — they’ve all shown interest in playing abroad during the off-season (when IPL is not on). The BCCI refuses to even take it up officially, despite the GC discussing it in the recent past,” TOI quoted its sources as saying.

“It will only help the IPL grow outside of India, especially in the USA, Canada, Singapore and other non-cricketing countries. We can understand that playing in full-member countries is not possible, but why not otherwise?” the owner said.

The idea of playing abroad is one that has been fancied by IPL franchises over the years. If the BCCI allows the franchises to play abroad, it will help the tournament gain popularity outside India and the board itself will be able to make more money if the franchises become global brands.

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