To say that the Indian T20 League is profitable would be a huge understatement. The Indian Cricket Board has become one of the wealthiest boards among all sports. The rights for the Indian T20 League were recently sold for a massive Rs 48,390 Crores making it the second most lucrative league in the world. Only behind the NBA.
Naturally, the board would want to make full use of the league and make as much money as possible. The league also provides a lot of opportunities to cricketers and employment to millions.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri has recently made a bold prediction of two Indian T20 League in a year. He said that a shorter Indian T20 League edition could join the full-fledged league in coming years.
Featuring in “The Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket Show”, Shastri said, “I think you might have two (Indian T20 League) seasons.
He went on to explain, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all. You might have a full competition with 10 teams — it could go to 12 teams in the future where the corridor can go from one-and-a-half months to two months. And if bilateral cricket is reduced, you might well have a shorter format of the ITL in the latter half of the year, where it’s more like a World Cup format which is like a knockout after a little while to decide who’s the winner.”
Driven by demand- Ravi Shastri
The former Indian player and coach however agreed that the move could come as demand for T20 League are on a high.
“All that is possible and it is driven by the money and supply and demand. The demand is big for that type of format,” added Ravi Shastri.
Shastri went on to add that the Indian T20 League is not just good for the cricketers but also for boards and people working around cricket like team staff, broadcasters and the hospitality industry as well.
In 2022, two teams were added to the Indian T20 League and the tournament is set to get an extended schedule in the coming years.
