Expansion of IPL will have to wait

IPL's growth trajectory has been phenomenal.

- Rasesh Mandani

MUMBAI: Every media rights revision has exceeded expectations with continuing demand among investors to join the elite club of franchise owners. "In such a short span of time, it has become the No. 2 sporting league in the world. We want to take that legacy forward and make sure that in times to come, IPL becomes No. 1," IPL chairman Arun Dhumal told HT on Saturday as the 18th edition of the league got underway.

Lofty ambition it may be, but BCCI is not in a hurry. NFL, the world's leading sporting league in the US is played over an 18-week window spanning 272 matches and involving 32 teams. Its latest media rights deal was reportedly worth $110 billion for 11 years. To achieve such a scale, IPL would require a comparable window to begin with and a similar talent pool. Neither are readily available. The economics needs to add up too. The next round of IPL media rights sale too could become challenging with the merger of Disney Star and Viacom18.