Dharamsala: IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal was a busy man overseeing the preparations at the HPCA Stadium here on the occasion of the match between Punjab Kings and RCB. In a conversation with TOI, he spoke about controversies, relations with Bangladesh Board. Mustafizur Rehman Failure, IPL Evaluation, Extension and WPL. Quotes… The IPL has been plagued by some off-field controversies this year There have been a couple of examples. According to the rules, however strictly enforced. BCCI Could have, the people concerned have already taken action – be it the ACSU or the match referees. We are very strong when it comes to the integrity of the game. It has become more hyped in the media. The game is very clean. Boys know how to behave and what to do. Wherever there has been an incident where something has happened inadvertently, it has been dealt with very severely. Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the IPL led to a major crisis ahead of the T20 World Cup. Where do we stand now on Bangladeshi players in IPL? This is a dynamic situation. BCCI would like to maintain excellent relations with all cricket boards. Keeping the game interesting is our top priority. I don’t want to comment on what happened. What happened is in the past. Going forward, I see that we maintain a very good relationship with all the cricket boards. There has been talk of fatigue around IPL this year and that TRPs are going down… The data speaks for itself. In the recently released JioStar report, you can see this kind of attraction this year as well. It has been extraordinary. Digital penetration has increased by 15 percent and TV penetration by 25 percent. Regional language viewing time has increased by around 42% compared to the previous season. In between, it’s been a weird day off. IPL has already crossed 1.1 billion views. Based on the feedback alone, I can say that it has been a phenomenal season and it will continue. An increase in the number of matches has been debated for some years now… The number of games could go up to 94 if we have nine home and nine away games with a 10-team structure. But unfortunately, we have no window or scope in which we can increase the number of games, given our bilateral commitments till 2027. It was supposed to be gradually increased from 74 to 84 and then to 94. But since we are connected with many events and two-way events, it was not possible in this two-way cycle. Hopefully when the next bilateral cycle is planned, if we get a bigger window, we can think about increasing the number of games.
FILE PHOTO: Virat Kohli celebrates with the IPL trophy after RCB won the 2025 title. (IANS photo)
Does this help IPL franchises and Indian owners to spread their wings to other leagues? Are we headed the way of football? It all depends on what value the two sides will get in the coming period. Not only for BCCI but also for other boards. It’s always the fan that drives the game. It all depends on who funds the game. If they find value in more leagues than two-way, that change will happen on its own. It’s not my choice or anyone else’s. This is where fans get more traction. This is what has happened over the years. Our franchisees are also looking for value. That is why we are making this kind of investment in other leagues as well. Does this bode well for the IPL? One has to find the game. If you look at other boards, they prefer bilateral series with India. India has been living up to this commitment for so many years despite the challenges of Covid. India can only commit to one or two bilateral ties during a four-year period. India cannot go everywhere every year. If the revenue depends only on India and they are not getting that kind of value with other bilaterals, then they can obviously make money from their game to run cricket on the ground. In a way, India as BCCI would like to create that value for them in the bilateral relationship. If not, our franchises are doing so by being part of their leagues. Because it is not like only 2-3 countries can play cricket in the whole world. If the game is to grow, we have to get good value for every country. If it’s happening through these leagues, and our franchises are contributing there, I’m happy with that. After the merger of Jio and Hotstar, there are concerns about the value of media rights next year… Just look at the prices we have. Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru which has requested for sale of shares and entry of new buyers. If there were concerns about the valuation of the next media rights cycle, you don’t get the kind of valuation that has been predicted or given to both teams. I am very optimistic that when we have the media rights era for the next five years, it will be much better than it is now. It will definitely go up, I am very confident. There are reports that the market cap of IPL has decreased. How do you define the value of IPL? Unlimited You can now compare prices to what the original price was in 2008. It has increased almost 20 times in the last 18 years. Can you name a business or enterprise that has given you this type of return? IPL is the No. 1 Make in India brand. Big groups like Mittal and Birlas have come in now. IPL is a commercial venture. Anyone who finds value in that, you’ll want to get a piece of it. Could we see more teams in the WPL soon? It all depends on the pool of players available from home and abroad. Accordingly you can think about the number of teams. But after winning the World Cup, with Harman Preet Kaur Leading the team, you must have seen what happened with WPL. If you go to a WPL game, you can’t really tell if it’s a men’s game or a women’s game. It has been a transformative moment for women’s cricket in India and across the world. Currently, the WPL is played at two to three venues. Will the WPL have a home and away format? Since there are only five teams, it can become a difficult situation. Apart from the number of ICC events, there are also several bilateral commitments. We have a very short window for women’s cricket. So logically being home and away is a challenge. But we will see if that adds more value to WPL, we can take it forward. Can you talk about some of the franchises that are splitting their home matches between two venues? This is in line with the BCCI policy to spread across the length and breadth of the game. BCCI only wanted them to take a ground other than their home ground. They have been doing this for a long time. Punjab Kings have been playing IPL games in Dharamsala since 2010. Similarly, RCB played two games in Raipur this year and got a unique experience. Along with Rajasthan Royals, they had Guwahati as an additional home ground and they are very happy with it. This helps franchisees generate more gate money. Are there any plans to make it the same across all franchises so you don’t have to play all seven home matches at one venue and shuffle between other cities? Name a team which has won all seven matches at home. It doesn’t matter. They have to play in all conditions and give their best and it is not like BCCI is forcing anyone. They want to get out and play a game to grow their fan base.
