Does Everyone Want More Teams in the IPL?
A report that the BCCI (Board for Control of Cricket in India) is planning to increase the number of IPL franchises to nine in 2021 and to 10 by 2023 has led to a raging debate. The IPL is a lucrative business and nobody can blame the BCCI for wanting to expand it and make it even more lucrative. But such an increase in the number of teams can have several repercussions, some of which are not easily visible. In this article, we consider the consequences that can result from an increase in the number of IPL franchises and how various stakeholders are likely to view such move by the BCCI.
Existing Franchises
Existing franchises are not likely to welcome such expansion. An argument that is often repeated holds that the talent pool is limited and increasing the number of teams will dilute the quality further. We will discuss the merits of this argument later in the article. However, franchises have a much more profound reason for wanting to keep things unchanged. With more franchises in the fray, their share of the revenue from the IPL will decrease.
Broadcasters
Broadcasters are also likely to be unhappy with a potential increase in the number of teams for a commercial reason. The increase in the number of matches that will result from having more teams in the fray will lead to an increase in license fees charged by the BCCI to broadcasters. Take, for instance, BCCI’s contract with Star India. As of now, the broadcaster must pay BCCI about $7.5 million per game. Were the number of teams to increase from eight to nine, there would be 16 more matches to broadcast in an IPL season and a proportionate increase in licensing fees of about $120 million.
Cricket Fans
In a cricket-crazy country such as India, fans would clamour for more matches if they had a choice. Currently, larger cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have franchises. There are several smaller cities such as Ahmedabad and Pune with a huge population of cricket fans who would want IPL matches to be held in their towns. When Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two years, teams such as Gujarat Lions and Pune Supergiants gave some of these cities an addictive experience of hosting IPL games.
In Conclusion
We sympathise with the commercial misgivings of existing franchises and broadcasters as well as with the desire of cricket fans in various unrepresented parts of India about having more teams in the IPL. However, we would like to look at a broader picture to help decide whether it’s a good idea to have more IPL teams. For a start, we do not agree with the opinion that the quality of talent will deteriorate when there are more teams in the fray. In fact, there are several players — both domestic and overseas talent — who spend the whole season in the dugout after their teams have forked out huge sums to buy them in the IPL auction. Such players would be better off representing teams that give them an opportunity to play. That said, we see a bigger problem in having more teams in the IPL. More teams would mean a longer IPL season in an already crowded schedule that most professional cricketers must cope with. The greater stress would lead to a poorer quality of cricket in the foreseeable future.
The 5th edition of the Indian Premier League saw nine teams competing for the crown, and plenty of thrashings, upsets, and magnificent moments. Although it was quite a year for bowlers as well, the batters had their own very loud say. From Chris Gayle in his prime to a young Robin Uthappa, 2012 had a […]
In the high-stakes world of the Indian Premier League, every run counts. A batter can be the darling of the tournament one season only to be relegated to mediocrity the next. When runs make the backbone of the game, the batter to get the most is treasured beyond measure even if his team fails to […]
In just its third year of the tournament, IPL 2014 was just as much a spectacle as it is now, just with more novelty. The meta of the T20 format was still in the works, and many of the legends of ODI cricket were still at the top of their game. With pure T20 players […]
IPL 2017 was the 10th edition of the tournament that cricket lovers can’t get enough of. From smashing sixes to fabulous fours, here are the top run-scorers for this season of the tournament. Take a look! #5 Suresh Raina This soft-spoken Indian batsman has been a crucial part of the Chennai Super Kings franchise for […]
IPL 2016 was as full of fire as a cricket fan expects the tournament to be. In the end, Sunrisers Hyderabad emerged victorious and Royal Challengers Bangalore ended up as runners-ups. In all the matches that were played, these are the batsmen who scored the most runs in IPL 2016. #5 Shikhar Dhawan This powerhouse […]
2015 was another amazing season for the shortest and the most entertaining format of cricket – the Indian Premier League. This was the eighth season of the popular tournament that saw Mumbai Indians emerge as the winner. However, all the matches were as exciting and fun as ever for cricket experts and fans. Here are […]