"We don't see anyone else as our competition, there is none even close to IPL" - IPL chairman Arun Singh DhumalÂ
The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Singh Dhumal feels that no other T20 franchise league is even close to competing with India's cash-rich league in terms of revenue or viewership.
The 2023 edition of the IPL was conducted successfully recently with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning their fifth title. The introduction of the impact player rule coupled with the return of the home and away format made the tournament one of the most enthralling ones in recent times.
While the global market has expanded with each nation trying to introduce a franchise-based T20 league, they are still in the grass-roots stage. The IPL, in comparison, has been around for 16 years and attracts the biggest players as well as halts international cricket to an extent during its functioning.
Opining that the IPL is dominant in the field of franchise T20 leagues over the globe.
"We don't see anyone else as our competition, there is none even close to IPL. Our best wishes to all the boards starting their own T20 leagues, but I don't think any of them can be a threat to IPL," Arun Dhumal told Reuters.
"It has been a phenomenal success, and largely because of the sheer competitiveness of this year's tournament," terming the IPL 2023 as a massive success, Dhumal continued.
"Most of the matches went down to the wire and there were plenty of last-over thrillers. We got a phenomenal response from the fans. Our viewership grew manifold and our broadcast and digital partners both are excited."
The IPL's growth is evident with the introduction of two new franchises in 2022 as well as the fact that the broadcast rights for television and digital were sold separately.
"It's the ICC's job to grow the game outside the traditional pockets" - Arun Singh Dhumal
The IPL has more-or-less obtained a dedicated window in the next cycle of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) as per the ICC's directive. The game is orienting towards the franchise-based system which threatens bilateral cricket and the longer formats of the game as well.
Should the dedicated window be finalized, IPL will likely increase from a 75-match model to close to 100 matches in a season. In such an instance, teams are likely to face every other team twice as opposed to the in-built group system.
"We will have to consult the franchises and team owners before taking a call. While we still have 10 months before the next IPL, a lot of discussions will have to take place before anything like that happens," speaking about a potential increase in the salary cap, Dhumal said.
Dismissing the claims that BCCI is helping Saudi Arabia launch its own T20 league, Dhumal concluded by saying:
"It's the ICC's job to grow the game outside the traditional pockets. BCCI has helped nations in the past but as far as a T20 league in Saudi Arabia is considered, it's all speculation."
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