Despite initial proposals for expansion, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to maintain the current number of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at 74 in 2025. The cricket governing body weighed the possibility for higher money against the necessity of controlling player workload before making this choice.
The wealthy league initially outlined expansion strategies in its media rights tender proposal for the 2023–2027 season. According to the paper, the number of matches would rise to 84 in 2025 and 2026 and 94 in 2027.
For the 2019 season, the BCCI has decided to keep the number of matches the same. The departing president of the BCCI, Jay Shah, gave an explanation for this choice.
“We haven’t decided whether to have 84 matches in the 2025 Indian Premier League since we also need to consider the players’ workload as a result of the increased number of games. Although the BCCI has the authority to choose whether to hold 74 or 84 matches, Shah informed the Economic Times that the 84 matches are required per the contract.
Long-term goals of the BCCI to keep cricket alive
There are other reasons besides player management for the decision to maintain the match count at 74. It has an impact on the media rights package structure that will be sold for INR 48,390.5 crore (about USD 6.2 billion) in 2022. Package C, sometimes referred to as the special package, is of particular significance since it contains high-profile events like the playoffs, Saturday evening matches, and the tournament opener. With 18 matches for a 74-game season and more for extra games, the number of matches in this package is directly related to the total number of games in the season.
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The BCCI’s decision to give players’ health and performance top priority, particularly with important international matches quickly approaching, suggests that the board is considering the long-term viability of cricket in the nation. The IPL’s growth trajectory appears to have reached a temporary plateau.
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