Sunday, March 21, 2010

Indian Premier League Expansion - What's in it for the fans?

Pune and Kochi have just been announced the new franchises into the Indian Premier League making the BCCI richer by about $700mn. So what's in store for fans and how will this expansion affect the quality of the tournament and scheduling. Let's assume the current format of each team playing all other teams twice home and away plus 2 semis, a 3rd place play-off and Final stays put. The total number of fixtures would then swell from 60 to 94. IPL3 will span 44 days to complete so 94 games could require a 60 day window. This is assuming broadcasters would allow double or triple header gamedays only on weekends. This will further test the ICC's scheduling team and test player loyalties. More games will also mean more of the injuries we've seen within the first week of IPL3. With ten teams now fighting for 4 semi-final spots, midway through the schedule half the teams would be out of the running with an unrealistic chance of winning enough games. This hasnt happened with 8 teams as atleast 6 teams have been in the fray. With a bigger league, teams that performed poorly in the first 3 editions now have an even bigger challenge and their fans may have a longer wait for success which could lead to fans switching allegiances and sponsors pulling out.

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