Lalit Modi’s IPL Blueprint: A Bigger Window, But at What Cost to International Cricket?

Is expanding the IPL by cutting down on international T20 cricket the only way forward to create a bigger window for India's most sought-after T20 league? Why would any cricket board willingly sacrifice revenue to accommodate the IPL by allowing its players to participate in the tournament?

The IPL is expected to expand to 94 matches per season from 2028, up from the current 74. The proposed format will allow all 10 franchises to play each other twice, home and away, restoring the traditional double round-robin league structure. The expansion depends on scheduling approvals.

As the International Cricket Council (ICC), with Jay Shah at the helm, grapples with the question of how to create a bigger window for the IPL, the league's founder, Lalit Modi, remains confident that where there is a will, there is a way.

With some former cricketers also questioning the relevance of international T20 cricket, could a reduction in the number of T20 internationals be a possibility? Who knows?

According to Modi, world cricket can accommodate a longer IPL window, potentially beginning in January or occupying a period between October and the end of April.

"As the next Future Tours Programme takes shape, Jay Shah has an opportunity to secure cricket's next chapter: use his good offices as ICC Chair to facilitate an expanded IPL season beginning in January," Modi wrote on X.

His record gives him credibility. During his tenure as BCCI secretary, the board secured IPL media-rights bids worth more than ₹48,390 crore for 2023-27. He understands how ambition becomes a valuable sporting property.

"Now he can help secure the calendar for its next phase," Modi added.

Modi is of the view that bilateral cricket and ICC rights revenues could come under pressure in the next cycle, making it imperative for the BCCI to prepare for the future.

Sources indicate that the BCCI is certainly looking to secure a bigger IPL window in the coming years, but any such expansion would have to be worked out in consultation with other cricket boards.