With 70 league games, has the IPL become too long?

In the last decade or so, cricket has seen a major transformation in terms of its reach and value. With the emergence of the shortest form of the game in T20 cricket, the sport has become much more fast-paced and is now instilled with greater interest from its fans. The eyeballs that the format had managed to attract have given birth to numerous T20 leagues around the world. From Pakistan Super League to the Caribbean Premier League, most cricket playing nations have developed their franchise-based T20 leagues.

However, one league that has maintained its position as one of the premium T20 leagues in the world is the Indian Premier League. From its inception in 2008, the IPL has managed to evolve year after year to be able to keep its dominance on the global cricketing calendar. The league is one of the most sought after and anticipated tournaments amongst fans around the world due to the sheer high-quality cricketing action on display and the involvement of some of the finest cricketers in the world.

However, the tournament that has been an eight-team contest in the majority of its previous editions will now see two teams added to make it a 10-team tournament going forward. This has also meant that the number of league games has increased from earlier being in the 50s to 70, and thus, raising the question of whether the tournament is getting too lengthy?

There is a strong case for the BCCI to reconsider the high number of matches that the IPL will now consist of. In Australia’s Big Bash League, there lies precedence that when a tournament of such nature has gone on for too long, it has lost out on attention and has not been engrossing enough. Even though the fans are always keen on being presented with more of the sport, the lengthy nature of the IPL can eventually turn them off as a result of overkill.

With a tournament being concise in nature, it is easier for it to maintain excitement and the adrenaline it brings with it. However, 70 league games could prove to be way too many and cause the mega league to lose its appeal. Also, a greater number of games means more cricket to be played by the cricketers participating. This could thus well have a direct impact on their performances hampering the quality of cricket.

With the high standards that IPL has set over the years, any dip in its quality holds the potential to turn the most ardent of its admirers away. With it being a cricket tournament, at the end of the day, IPL should focus more on it being engrossing than the business side of it.

An IPL that leaves its viewers wanting for more would be much more welcomed than a tournament that is just stretching itself into lethargy.