Arun Dhumal, the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has revealed plans to extend the competition to a 94-match season by 2028, which is a big step for cricket fans. Without adding additional teams, this expansion seeks to establish a complete home-and-away schedule that would enable each of the ten current franchises to play every other team twice, once at home and once away.
Since the existing schedule is jam-packed with bilateral series and ICC tournaments, the proposed extension is dependent on getting a larger opening in the international cricket calendar. In order to implement this modification in the Future Tours Program beginning in 2028, talks are still going on with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Although the BCCI has no immediate intentions to add further franchises, it is actively contemplating raising the IPL season to 94 matches starting in 2028. After the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchises were sold, the league’s size was increased to its current 74-match format in 2022. Due to scheduling constraints within the tournament window and the broadcasters’ reluctance to host too many doubleheaders, the Initial plans to grow to 84 matches for 2025 were postponed; nevertheless, medium-term expansion is still possible.
Arun Dhumal Statement
“That might be an opportunity,” Dhumal said. “We’ve been discussing in ICC, we’ve been discussing in-house in BCCI. Given how the interest of the fan is changing about bilateral and ICC events, regarding franchise cricket and T20 cricket, we’ll have to talk more seriously about it and see how we can create maximum value for the stakeholders of the game.
“Ideally, we’d want a larger window, or to maybe go on from 74 to 84 or 94 at some point… So that every team gets to play against every team home and away, you need 94 games. Given the window and the kind of commitments that we have about bilateral cricket and ICC events, that may not be possible in the short term. But given the landscape, how it is changing and evolving over the years, maybe at some point in time we would look and take that option.
“There’s been so much cricket: we came back from Australia from a Test series, we had this Champions Trophy, and on top of that we have this IPL. That is why it was decided that it doesn’t make sense to go from 74 to 84 [in 2025], but whenever we think that the time is opportune, we’ll take that call.”
TV and streaming numbers typically drop midway through the IPL season, which broadcasters privately attribute to viewer fatigue. The 2025 edition will stretch to nine weeks, with 12 double-headers scheduled, and an increase to a full home-and-away season would likely require two more weeks in the international calendar.
There are no immediate plans to increase the number of franchises, despite investor interest. “Ten is a good number for now,” Dhumal said. “Paramount is the interest in the tournament and the quality of cricket that we play… I don’t see any scope in the short term. Going forward, with how this whole landscape evolves, we’ll take a call accordingly.”
Dhumal praised the “competitive spirit” among clubs and the rise of a number of young Indian players in his assessment of the IPL 2025 season as a success. With the Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and LSG all in the running for the playoffs at this point, he also thinks it would be beneficial for the IPL to have a first-time winner this season.
“Every year, it’s been growing,” Dhumal stated. “We are thrilled that the fans have enjoyed this event, and both the broadcast and in-stadia attendance figures are outstanding. We intend to continue making this the 18th edition, a special edition. We have no doubt that it will keep expanding in the manner that we have witnessed over the past 17 years.
“This year, I would definitely like the trophy to be lifted by someone who has never won the competition. Over the past few years, DC has performed really well, but they have not won. Off and on, RCB has performed well, and Punjab Kings advanced to a single final. I will be thrilled for the event if some of these teams play each other in the final because then we will know for sure that there will be a new winner.”
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