BCCI mulling launching IPL-like T10 cricket tournament next year: Report

The BCCI changed cricket forever with the introduction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. The cash-rich league spearheaded India’s meteoric rise in the sport, making the Men in Blue among the most consistent team across formats and the board the most influential in terms of decision-making, surpassing traditional powerhouses England and Australia.

The introduction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) this year is starting to have a similar effect on the women’s game as well. Seeing the tremendous success of both the IPL and the WPL, the BCCI is now mulling the introduction of a Tier-2 cricket league as early as 2024, according to a report on Moneycontrol.

The report further suggests that BCCI secretary Jay Shah is planning to host the league in the window between September and October and stakeholders, including potential sponsors, have voiced their approval for the idea.

The board, however, is deliberating over the idea of whether to stick to the T20 format that has brought them so much success for a decade-and-a-half, or to make their first foray into the T10 format, which is currently limited to a couple of tournaments across the world.

There will be other factors to be considered at the same time, such as putting a cap on the age of players and to decide whether to invite a separate tender for the franchises or to allow existing IPL teams right of first refusal.

Another decision to be made is whether to host the tournament in India every year, as is the case with the IPL, WPL and the rest of the domestic tournaments, or to take it to multiple nations in order to give the players exposure to a variety of conditions.

These are some of the points the BCCI will have to ponder over to ensure success for the new tournament without eating into the popularity of the existing cash cow that is the IPL.

“Else, what’s the guarantee that it will not begin to eat into IPL’s popularity over the years? Right now, the IPL’s biggest strengths are a) It caters to Indian prime-time like no other cricket property; b) The world’s best white-ball cricketers participate in the league; and c) Corporate India looks forward to spending big on the league at multiple levels, thus ensuring the upkeep of the property’s central revenue model.

“Whenever the BCCI decides to launch a new property, points a and c will always continue to remain the same given that cricket sells like no other product in India. It is point b that the BCCI might want to think twice about,” a source in the know of things told Moneycontrol.

Should the BCCI go ahead with the proposed league, it could have a lasting impact on international cricket with the likelihood of bilateral tournaments beyond marquee fixtures such as Ashes, Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the Pataudi Trophy becoming increasingly slim.

Other boards might be encouraged to lend their support towards the idea through a revenue-sharing program that might aid them financially.

And the one format that will certainly be taking a hit and get reduced to ICC and ACC events is 50-over One-Day Internationals.

“But if that happens, it could signal the death of 50-over cricket sooner than one thinks,” said a source in the know of things.