Since the fag end of the Indian Premier League (IPL)'s 2026 season, there have been talks that in the near future, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has plans to accommodate 94 matches in a single edition, 20 more than the current schedule of 74. Board president Devajit Saikia was recently asked if the same would come into effect from the upcoming 2027 season.
Saikia has responded to the query, saying that the BCCI is more than interested in expanding the scope of the IPL to 94 matches,
but the international scheduling and tournament window are going to be a big challenge in achieving the same. Saikia has also said that it will make a huge impact on the availability of overseas players for the full season, making it challenging for the teams to build a stable combination.
"So, at this moment there is no discussion regarding increasing it from 74 to any further matches up to 94 which is not happening immediately," Saikia was quoted as saying by India Today.
"In the course of later years I do not know what the position will be, but right at this moment I don't see any possibility of increasing it from 74 to 94 because for that it is not only India is to be considered but the interest of other cricketing nations of the ICC, especially players from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and the West Indies, all of whom are playing in this tournament, so we do not want to upset their bilateral matches also and other international pictures including various other multi-country tournaments," he added.
As a result, Saikia has suggested that it is going to be impossible to make the changes come into effect from the 2027 season onwards. However, the BCCI certainly plans to do so with the premier T20 tournament in the later years to follow.
"So, at this moment I don't see any chance of increasing it beyond the window of two months, which will accommodate only about 74 matches with a lot of double headers during the run-up to the tournament," he concluded.
