BCCI ponders rolling out mini IPL in Dubai
“The next 10 years are going to be interesting," Rajeev Shukla mentioned.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen on starting a mini edition of the popular Indian Premier League. The talks about the same have been going around for quite some time. The Indian cricket board knows the popularity of the tournament is immense overseas and hence is keen on hosting the mini IPL in UAE. As per the reports in the Gulf News, the IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla spoke at length about the same recently.
He noted that the slot that was earlier used for the now-defunct Champions League T20 is still vacant. Hence, the board is keen on having a mini edition of the popular league. Commenting on the preferred venue for the same, he conceded, “Dubai will be most favoured destination for the mini IPL.”
“One concept that we are deliberating and considering is launching a mini edition of the IPL overseas. We have seen that there is huge attraction for IPL overseas. Earlier, we used to stage our Champions League T20 abroad and that slot is still vacant. We are thinking of a mini edition in that slot,” quoted Rajeev Shukla.
On future of IPL
The tournament has retained Vivo as the title sponsors for the next edition of the tournament. Rajeev Shukla is very excited regarding the future of the IPL. He believes that things will be getting interesting with new revenue sharing models coming into the picture.
“The next 10 years are going to be interesting. We are changing the revenue sharing model. Earlier franchises took the license fee but now they will be sharing the revenue with the BCCI. Another important thing is about tenders for the broadcasters. In fact, broadcasters’ tenders will be out in July and we are expecting manifold rise in it,” he conceded.
On number of teams
Over the years, there have been speculations about adding more teams to the IPL roster. However, Shukla noted that it could get tricky if more teams are in the tournament. To accommodate 10 teams, there would be a minimum number of 84 matches to be played. Hence, the time slot could well be a problem if that happens.
“So far we have decided for eight teams only, otherwise the season will get extended and that will be a problem. If we go for 10 teams, we will have to stage minimum 84 matches. However, the governing council will be considering it but so far the tender will be only for eight teams,” Shukla said.
On timing of the IPL
Lastly, he hailed the timing of the tournament. This year, the tournament was played just before the commencement of the Champions Trophy. Shukla believes it helped the players stay fit and that reflected in the way Indian team performed in the tournament.
“The Indian players had played in the IPL before the Champions Trophy and so they were already fit and were in rhythm. IPL also creates bonhomie among the players as they have been playing together for different teams,” concluded Shukla.
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