Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has presented a way forward for one of the biggest sports leagues in the world, urging decision makers to consider a move away from the summer months and restructure the tournament to a more appropriate timeline.
Current Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood star Juhi Chawla gave her support to Modi's suggestion that the IPL should move out of the summer months and play in better weather, even if it affects the international calendar because “the IPL no longer needs to find its place in the cricket calendar. It has earned the right to influence it”.
What they said
Lalit Modi, former IPL chairman: “The IPL does not need the ICC to give it a window. The BCCI can decide when to stage it. Of course, international commitments and player releases must be managed, but that is entirely different from seeking permission to exist in a particular part of the calendar.
“The IPL has become to cricket what the English Premier League is to football: a global sporting and commercial powerhouse with the ability to shape the wider ecosystem.
“My proposal is to seriously examine moving the IPL from the increasingly punishing April–May heat, with two alternatives: a January start or a carefully structured October–April competition calendar.
“The objective should be a commercially sustainable expansion, better playing conditions, more valuable broadcasting inventory and a stronger long-term economic foundation for Indian cricket.
“The ICC and other cricket boards should recognise the economic reality and work constructively around it. The IPL cannot be expected to subsidise an outdated global calendar indefinitely.
“The writing has been on the wall. Unfortunately, some people only read it when it appears on a balance sheet. You cannot run tomorrow’s cricket on yesterday’s economics.”
Juhi Chawla, Kolkata franchise co-owner: “The IPL no longer needs to find its place in the cricket calendar. It has earned the right to influence it. So why keep playing the biggest cricket tournament on the planet in the harshest heat?
And if the calendar is being reconsidered, why not January instead of April-May? Better conditions. Better cricket. A better experience for everyone overall! The IPL has evolved. Perhaps its calendar should too now!”
Can it work?
The reason the IPL worked and grew alongside international cricket and other leagues for two decades is because it occupied a space in the calendar where there was next to no top-level cricket anywhere in the world – the months of April to June.
That meant other tournaments, international fixtures and leagues had the rest of the calendar, and admittedly better months of the year, at their disposal. Everyone got what they wanted, more or less.
But playing in the summer heat has had its issues, with many IPL matches played in 40° Celsius heat during day matches. That's a health hazard for players.
The idea of having the IPL in the winter months is sound on paper. But the ground realities are not so simple.
The issues
There are a few of technical problems with the proposal of Modi, who is credited with creating the IPL but was later removed from the league for misconduct. From a scheduling point of view, having the IPL in January-February is a bad idea because of the extreme cold in parts of north India during that period.
Franchises like Delhi, Punjab and even Lucknow will be unlikely to host home matches because of extreme cold and fog that is commonplace during these months. Also, there is heavy dew in evening winter games, which would mean most matches are decided by the toss.
Then there is the issue of the current calendar. The January window is extremely busy with international matches, the South African T20 League and the Big Bash T20 league in Australia running concurrently.
IPL teams are also co-owners in the South African league. How will they reconcile the scheduling and player availability issues?
A move to the January window would mean having discussions and agreements with various leagues and cricket boards to ensure continuation of existing tournament contracts and also player availability.
A better option?
The other suggestion of Modi – of a structured October-April window – is more technically sound. Although it would mean a completely new format where fans won't get to see matches every evening for months on end, there would be more breathing space between games and time for teams and players to grow into a season or stage a comeback.
Better build-up for games, lower possibility of low interest mid-week matches and the anticipation around fewer fixtures every weekend – like the Premier League – can make the October-April window work.
However, that would mean a complete overhaul of cricket. The game would need to adapt like football's system where leagues run throughout the year, with international breaks in between to fulfil national duties.
In cricket, that would require every other league and international board to tweak its calendar so that the top players are made available for IPL every weekend. Needless to say, everyone else would want a big slice of the IPL financial pie to even consider this.
The idea is out there now. It's up to the decision makers to consider its feasibility.
