England vs India 2022

Indian T20 League to have an extended 10-week window: Jay Shah

The Indian T20 league will have an extended window of 10 weeks in the next international calendar so that some of the big names from international cricket will not miss out on participating in it, an official from the Indian cricket board told Reuters.

Jay Shah, the secretary of the Indian Cricket Board, also said that there are no plans to add more teams to the league as of now to keep the quality of the cricket intact.

“We are in discussions with the Cricket’s governing body and several other cricket boards to have an exclusive window for the league,” Shah said.

“Let me assure you that there will be a two-and-a-half-month window in the next FTP (Future Tours Program) calendar so that all top international players can participate.

“Since this tournament benefits all … we have received a positive response from the apex cricket body and other member boards,” Shah added.

The Indian T20 league is played over a period of two months when international cricket comes to a halt. The league will also have more matches in the coming season according to the Indian Cricket Board.

After the record-breaking deal of the media rights auction, which made it the second most valuable sporting league in the world, the Indian Cricket Board is planning to expand the league.

Gujarat and Lucknow franchise paid a combined $1.7 billion ($A2.4 billion) to join the league, which would remain a 10-team affair “for now”, said Shah.

“Expanding the league further will depend on many factors like expanding the talent pool with no compromise on the quality of talent, strengthening grassroots, building the right infrastructure and many other factors,” he said.

Shah further said that extending the league window won’t disturb India’s commitment to international cricket.

“The board remains committed to international cricket and it’s not just the marquee series like India v England or India v Australia,” he said.

“We want to design a comprehensive calendar where we aim to help associate nations with consistent and regular bilateral tours.”