‘I think you might have two IPL seasons’: Ravi Shastri backs franchise cricket over international cricket

Former Indian Head Coach Ravi Shastri has again voiced his opinion around the future of cricket looking at two IPL seasons a year amidst the growing popularity of T20 leagues.

Speaking to the Telegraph Sport's Vaughany and Tuffers CC podcast, Shastri said that while the regular IPL might continue, there might be another tournament towards the latter part of the year with a knock-out kind of tournament.

“I think you might have two [IPL] seasons. I wouldn't be surprised at all. If bilateral cricket is reduced, you might well have a shorter format of the IPL in the latter half of the year, more like a World Cup format with a knockout that decides the winner.”

He further said that the number of teams could also be increased from 10 to 12 with time. The radiant cricket pundit believes that this can suffice the TV demand IPL has created over the period. He also said that it is for the betterment of the sport.

"The full competition with 10 teams could go to 12 teams in the future with the schedule stretching from one-and-a-half to two months.”

The ICC, in the recent announcements about the next cycle FTP, have already increased the IPL window from two months to two and a half months.

"All that is possible because it is driven by the money and supply and demand. The demand is big for that type of format. The IPL will be tempted to go in that direction. It's great for the sport, great for the players, broadcasters, and people who work around the teams. It's [the IPL], an industry on its own now," Shastri added.

Shastri suggests that the T20 leagues shall be promoted at the cost of bilateral cricket and focus on the major ICC events at the international level. There has already been furore about the ODI format and the amount of cricket the countries play with the likes of Ben Stokes and Tamim Iqbal choosing to retire from one format of the game. Quinton De Kock also took a similar step last year.

"I would be a little careful of the number of bilateral splits, especially in T20 cricket," Shastri said. "There's a lot of franchise cricket which can be encouraged, whichever country it's in - India, West Indies, or Pakistan.

"You play less bilaterals and then you get together for the World Cups. So the emphasis on ICC World Cup events becomes paramount. Then people look forward to them," Shastri concluded.

The UAE T20 League and the new South African T20 league have already made the headlines as it is expected to pay multi-million dollars to the cricketers. The cricketers might be lured to choose franchise leagues over domestic and to some extent international cricket.

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