Should the BCCI look to expand the IPL to 9 or 10 teams?

The Indian Premier League is undisputedly the number one T20 league in the world. The talent present in the squads of the franchises in the IPL is second to none. Due to the immense influx of talent in the league, there have been calls for the inclusion of an additional team to the IPL, so a higher percentage of talented players get an opportunity. So, should the BCCI look to expand the IPL to 9 or 10 teams?

The past trials

IPL hasn’t always been a league with 8 teams. After the success of the first 3 seasons, two additional teams, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors India were added in 2011. Both the teams had quite a few marquee players. However, the experiment didn’t work out. Kochi team was a part of the IPL for just one season before it ran into financial disputes with the BCCI. Pune suffered the same fate in 2013.

Two more teams also meant the creation of new fanbases in the respective regions. And it served the purpose of having around 25-30 more talented players being actively involved in the league. The league for sure attracted more eyeballs initially. However, there were downsides as well.

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The league stretched extensively. 2011 saw as many as 74 matches being played. While every game of IPL does provide a lot of entertainment, the USP of the league has been its short and crisp nature. The additional 14 games were certainly a load. There were 76 games in 2013 with 9 teams. After the exit of PWI, the IPL reverted to 60 games a season in 2014. BCCI needs to consider whether the additional games will take away a bit of excitement from the IPL and if it is feasible for players to travel that extra bit to possibly play a couple of games more.

The way ahead

However, on the other spectrum, things have changed. The IPL has become way more established. It is not merely a tournament meant for entertainment. It is a hard-fought league which sees players from almost every Test-playing nation compete in it. And with India’s young stars rising up the ranks more swiftly than ever, it is imperative an extra team be added.

Yes, while the experiment failed the first time, but it did mainly due to financial disputes and lack of competitiveness of the additional teams who failed to incite much excitement. But the pool of talent available today is way more. The fact that players like Chris Lynn and Moeen Ali sat on the bench for most of the duration, goes to show the opportunity available for a 9th team. With IPL having grown way more as a brand as well, a 9th team will add even more financial meat to the league in terms of new eyeballs that it will attract

It has been 7 years since the IPL had more than 8 teams. While the BCCI may be hesitant to go for the 9th team, as a result of a poor prior experience, the timing can not be bigger. Not only will it help them financially, but it will certainly give the opportunity to several players being wasted away on the benches of other franchises. Yes, logistically it might create an issue, but the BCCI should look to work out the small obstacles in the way to reach a fruitful and highly beneficial final destination.