The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is seemingly considering cutting down on bilateral cricket to facilitate an extended Indian Premier League (IPL) season. An anonymous board official told
news agency PTI that the board will look at the ‘feasibility’ of bilateral cricket, as even the broadcasters are no longer ‘seeing value’ in such matches, calling for all national boards to buy into the ‘soccer model’.
In football or soccer, a club competition like the Premier League and the La Liga takes prominence over international matches. Only multi-national tournaments like the World Cup and the Euros can match them in terms of fan interest. The IPL, which was based on such club-oriented private leagues, has always been thought of as the harbinger of the football-like system in cricket.
Now, with the BCCI set to add around 20 games to the IPL from the 2028 season, the wheels of change seem strongly in motion.
“We can’t play 94 games in the current window as the monsoon starts after May. Either we split into two halves or we do it from the first week and have it till May 15. That would be the best window when 94 matches are played,” the official told PTI.
“We also need to see the feasibility of bilateral series going forward. Every country has their own league, they are not entirely dependent on hosting the India series. So, we need to see the feasibility of bilaterals going forward. The broadcaster is already not seeing value in some of the bilateral series being played. If cricket has to go the soccer way, all boards need to buy into it,” the official added.
“The viewer fatigue has to be kept in mind too. The world looks forward to the football World Cup as it comes after every four years. We are having ICC events every year,” the source added.
While India might not need bilateral cricket to sustain itself, several national boards would likely oppose any move to abolish or reduce it because hosting India, England, and Australia remains a major revenue earner for these countries. It showed how dependent the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was on the upcoming India tour to turn a profit this year.
This report comes only days after the ICC said it was concerned ‘regarding the growing expanse of franchise cricket’.
