IPL could expand to two tournaments per year: Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) could be expanded to have two different seasons per year and the TV demand for more IPL matches could be met by expanding the number of teams in the current form.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah had earlier said that the IPL will have an extended 10-week window in the next international calendar to allow all the world's top cricketers to participate in the popular T20 competition.

Shah had also told Reuters that there are no immediate plans to add more franchises to the 10-team competition and that any future additions must not dilute the quality of the product. "We are in discussions with the ICC (International Cricket Council) and several other cricket boards to have an exclusive window for the IPL," Shah said.

"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."

"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," Shastri said on the latest episode of Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club Podcast.

Shastri, a former India all-rounder who played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs, believes the IPL's growth is not only inescapable but also does good for the sport too. "All that is possible because it is driven by 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) industry on its own now."

"I would be a little careful of the number of bilateral splits, especially in T20 cricket. There's a lot of franchise cricket that can be encouraged, whichever country it's in - India, West Indies, or Pakistan. You play fewer bilaterals and then you get together for the World Cups. So the emphasis on ICC World Cup events has become paramount. Then people look forward to them."