HYDERABAD, INDIA - MAY 12: The Mumbai Indians celebrate after they defeated the Chennai Super Kings during the Indian Premier League Final match between the the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on May 12, 2019 in Hyderabad, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) director Jay Shah has said the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be afforded a 'two and a half month' window to operate in the next ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP).

Shah confirmed the league would stage up to 94 matches from 2024 onwards in an 'official' two and a half month window to ensure all top international cricketers can participate.

The decision was reportedly made in consultation with other national boards as well as the ICC, whose current FTP is expected to end in November 2023 with the Men's ODI World Cup.

 

The increase in matches is the likely catalyst for the league's new monster $6.2 billion (approx.) USD media deal signed earlier this week. The recent additions of Lucknow and Ahmedabad and now the extended 10-week league window have seen the tournament's value skyrocket.

For the next five seasons, the IPL broadcast have been handed to Disney Star for TV in the subcontinent, while Viacom 18 secured the digital rights in the subcontinent, alongside TV and digital and media rights in Australia/New Zealand, the UK and South Africa. The Middle East and USA will host IPL matches on Times Internet.

The IPL is now the second-most lucrative sport in the world behind the NFL, with IPL games potentially now worth just over $13 million USD. 

The IPL is the only domestic league that is included in the FTP, meaning international cricket is effectively put on hold during it, and the league's extension is thought to put added strain on an already packed FTP and its bilateral international matches.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already reported being concerned it will hamper international series further, while it spares no thought for other domestic T20 competitions. The PCB will reportedly express their concerns with other national cricket boards at an ICC board meeting in July.

Shah said the BCCI remained committed to international cricket, saying "Indian cricket will remain strong as long as world cricket remains strong - let me assure you of this... the BCCI is committed to international cricket".

The BCCI will circumnavigate those issues chiefly by satisfying the fixture requirements with duel bilateral series, perhaps at the expense of the quality of international cricket, both for player development and as a commercial product.

"We are going in that direction where we will have two national teams ready at the same time. In future, you will have a scenario, where the Indian Test team will be playing a series in one country and the white-ball team will be engaged in a series in a different country," Shah continued.

The IPL extension will undoubtedly inject huge financial sums into the sport, and potentially change the face of international cricket. But an extended IPL could really mean an enormous workload for international cricketers, especially for team India and those who play multiple formats, as well as ridding players of preparation time for international fixtures.

Hindustan Times cricket analyst Sharda Ugra wrote: "Ultimately, India could become like the US for sports like baseball of basketball, the home of a league/sport so lucrative that the sport no longer would no longer rely on the cash it once generated from bilateral international fixtures."