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There is some debate going on over a number of factors ahead of next season’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The expansion of the league and possible change in duration are two major topics that remain hot topics among cricket fans.
To make the franchise league more interesting, it was reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had considered holding the tournament entirely on a home-and-away format. BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia has made it clear that they are more concerned about the changing weather conditions at present.
Will BCCI make many changes in IPL?
Due to the increased temperatures and heat, both players and spectators were affected even during the evening hours in the 2026 season. Additionally, the traditional league window also covers pre-monsoon.
The match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens was abandoned without a single ball being bowled due to rain. Saikia claims that his main priority at the moment is to take a final decision on introducing possible changes in the league window.
Rising temperatures have put officials under stress
“Last year, there was an extension due to a week’s suspension in between. The only concern we are feeling, and this is in our discussions, is that while the tournament continued till May 31, some places are either showing signs of rain or experiencing high temperatures,” the BCCI secretary said while speaking to Hindustan Times.
The IPL schedule may be extended in future to avoid excessive heat and pre-monsoon season. BCCI officials are thinking of extending it by a few weeks.
Devjit Saikia said, “We (BCCI) are not taking that issue seriously, because like previous years, the IPL continued for more than two months. This year it was two months, two days. So, we are looking for ways to bring the IPL forward by 15 days. This year, we started it around March 28. We will try to bring the IPL a little ahead of the season, maybe by March 15.”
He said, “We are working on it and will complete and close it by May 15 so that the harshness of hot weather or rain does not have any impact on the players as well as spectators and fans, which is very important because watching a match, especially a match in bright sunlight, is very difficult and uncomfortable for the fans due to the high temperatures at some places.”
The final decision is yet to be taken
He further clarified that they have not taken the final decision yet as there are many other factors involved in the Indian Premier League schedule.
“So we are working on it, but I cannot say at this moment that we are taking the matter of increasing it from 74 to 94 very seriously because there are many other factors involved. We have to look at the participation of other countries in various FTPs and bilateral and other multinational tournaments where the ICC is the governing body. So there is no immediate talk about increasing it. But let’s see how things progress after 2027. Only time will tell,” he said. Said.
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