IPL will become world’s biggest sporting league, Indians to remain away from overseas leagues: Arun Dhumal

IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said that the T20 league will become the biggest sporting league in the world in the next five years.

IPL will become world’s biggest sporting league: Arun Dhumal (Courtesy by BCCI/PTI)

By India Today Web Desk: IPL’s new chairman Arun Dhumal believes the Indian Premier League will become the biggest sporting league in the history of the game. Dhumal added that the BCCI will stick to its long-standing policy of not allowing Indian players to play in overseas leagues.

“The IPL will be much bigger than what it is and will be the number one sports league in the world,” Dhumal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI when asked about how the BCCI plans to raise the bar for the crown jewel of Indian cricket.

“We are definitely looking at various innovations that can be brought to make it more fan-friendly. For those who are watching it on Tv and those who are experiencing it at the stadium, we want them to have a better experience.

“If we can make the IPL schedule well in advance, people from all around the world can plan their travel accordingly. It should be a value for money experience for the fans,” he said.

The BCCI collected over Rs 12000 crore by adding two new teams to the competition, but the IPL boss believes the number will not exceed ten. This season, 74 games were played, and the number of matches could increase to 94 with existing teams in the new cycle.

“Teams will stay at 10 only. If you increase that, it becomes difficult to have the tournament in one go. We are looking at 74 games to begin with for the first two seasons, then 84 and if things permit maybe 94 in the fifth year of the media rights cycle, that itself would make it a long enough event,” said Dhumal.

“We can’t compare ourselves to football and other sporting leagues around the world as the requirement in cricket is totally different. You can’t play on the same pitches for six months.”

Dhumal stated that the BCCI has no plans to change its current policy of preserving its players amid a hectic calendar, referring to both contract and non-contracted India players.

“This in principle is the decision of BCCI that our contracted players can’t go and play for other leagues. As it is there is so much of cricket happening. Keeping in mind their overall well-being that decision has been taken. As of now we stick to that decision.

“Even the noncontracted ones are aspiring to play for India,” he said.

“With the Indian diaspora all across the globe, we would want to increase the reach of this tournament further but it has to be rightly timed. That is very important. We will evaluate and when the time is right we will take it overseas.

“The international FTP is so tight that player availability needs to be looked at before taking a call on that,” he said before wishing the two new leagues in South Africa and UAE the “very best”.