IPL format to change next year; two new teams to be included before IPL 2022

From IPL 2022 onwards, the Indian Premier League will have a new format with the addition of two more clubs. The BCCI, however, is not prepared for a 94-match window, despite the rise in the number of matches. Instead, it will use a 74-match schedule, with the IPL window being extended to 60 days.

As a result, the IPL will revert to the same format as the 2011 season, when two additional clubs were created. Instead of the present system of all teams playing each other twice, the ten teams will now be separated into two groups of five.

Each of the group’s five teams will play each other twice. At the conclusion of the league phase, all clubs will be ranked based on points. The current playoff structure will be maintained, with one eliminator and two qualifiers before the final.

The BCCI and the ICC agreed to prolong the timeframe for the Indian Premier League in exchange for the ICC’s approval of one ICC event per year. The board led by Sourav Ganguly was thought to have a longer timeframe. However, it was revealed in an internal presentation that neither the broadcaster nor the board was prepared to have 94 matches with future tour commitments. It will instead return to the tried-and-true structure of two groups of five teams, each with 74 matches.

A BCCI official told Hindustan Times, “We are not ready for 94 matches yet. Our broadcasters are not ready. There are issues around overseas player availability and finding a suitable window. We will consider a bigger window in future years”. This format has only been proposed and presented, and it has yet to be confirmed by the board or the IPL Governing Council.

A franchise executive told, “What this would mean is the cream of Indian cricket will be retained by the existing teams. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not going away anywhere. Perhaps teams like KKR and RR who rely heavily on their overseas match winners may have to release key players”.