Franchise cricket stands on the cusp of a seismic change. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is already the crown jewel of the T20 world but it’s about to get bigger than ever. IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal had recently dropped hints of a massive expansion plan that could see the tournament having almost 100 matches in a season from the 2028 edition.
IPL Expansion: The Return of the True Double Round-Robin
The tournament has been following a virtual grouping system since the league expanded to 10 teams in 2022 with the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants. This had to be done to stop the calendar exploding, as a normal format where each team plays everyone twice would have been too long for the window we have.
Dhumal’s “ideal scenario”, though, is a return to a full home and away format. That would extend the current 74-match schedule to 94 matches. This means every team faces every other team twice, once at home and once away, restoring the competitive parity that marked the earlier eight-team era.
IPL Expansion: The FTP Constraint and the 2028 Timeline
The biggest obstacle to this expansion is the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tour Programme (FTP). The current cycle of international bilateral series is locked in till 2027. This leaves the BCCI with very little scope to squeeze in an extra 20 matches without a major clash with international commitments.
“Since the bilaterals are locked in till 2027, we would need a bigger window to raise the number of games from 74 to 94,” Dhumal told India Today. He clarified that the board is actively looking to secure a larger dedicated window in the post-2027 cycle. This effectively marks IPL 2028 as the likely starting point for the nearly 100-match format.
IPL Expansion: Quality Over Quantity- No New Teams
Interestingly, the Chairman has ruled out any more franchises. The idea is to increase the number of games for the current ten teams, not to dilute the talent pool by adding more teams. The idea is to make existing rivalries more commercially valuable.
Broadcasters have also voiced concern about “double-headers”, two matches in a day, which tend to depress afternoon audiences and advertising revenue. A wider window would allow BCCI to squeeze in more prime-time evening games, keeping fans and sponsors happy. As the current IPL 2026 season heads towards its conclusion on 31 May, the blueprint for a far bigger, more taxing and lucrative future is already being mapped out.
