The Indian Premier League (IPL) welcomed two new franchises in 2022 to make it ten teams in the tournament. While the competition has been sanctioned an extended window by the ICC to conduct the matches, the recently appointed IPL chairman Arun Dhumal reckoned it wasn't viable to increase the number of teams in the cash-rich league.
The addition of two new franchises in the last edition of the tournament was a huge success as Gujarat Titans, one of the two new teams, went on to win the tournament. While the new additions will make the league more competitive, the incumbent IPL chairman feels the event is long enough as it is, and adding a new team makes it difficult to conduct it in one go.
"Teams will stay at 10 only. If you increase that, it becomes difficult to have the tournament in one go. We are looking at 74 games to begin with for the first two seasons, then 84 and if things permit may be 94 in the fifth year of the media rights cycle, that it self would make it a long enough event," Dhumal was quoted as saying by NDTV.
You can't play on the same pitches for six months: Arun Dhumal
Dhumal said that unlike the renowned football leagues around the globe, which have more than a dozen teams, it is not possible for cricket to compete with them, given the varying degree of requirements in conducting a cricket match. He stated that while the football leagues conduct their matches year-round, it was not sustainable for cricket leagues, as playing on the same surface for six months was not possible as the pitch deteriorates considerably after a handful of games.
"We can't compare ourselves to football and other sporting leagues around the world as the requirement in cricket is totally different. You can't play on the same pitches for six months," he added.
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