Afridi's blunt reaction to Jay Shah confirming longer IPL window: 'Biggest market is India. What they say will happen'

Jay Shah revealed that the BCCI are in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other member nations to extend the window of the next IPL seasons

Updated on: Jun 21, 2022, 13:16:00 IST

By HT Sports Desk

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

After an intense three-day bidding war in the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights auction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finished with record-breaking numbers. Purchased for a colossal valuation of INR 48,390 crore, the IPL became the second-most valued sporting league in the globe, standing only behind United States’ National Football League (NFL). And following auction, BCCI secretary Jay Shah made a massive announcement, confirming a longer IPL window in future seasons. However, the comment did not go down well for former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi.

IPL featured 10 teams with the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants to the existing list of eight franchises. This led to the 15th edition featuring 74 matches across 65 days between March 26 and May 29.

ALSO READ: 'He's grown leaps and bounds. He's the x-factor that India require': Graeme Smith picks 2 undroppable players for T20 WC

Speaking to Cricbuzz following the auction, Shah revealed that the BCCI are in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other member nations to extend the window of the next IPL seasons which will imply fewer international fixtures.

"Not just cricketers but the IPL has some legends of the game now turning up as coaches. It is a fantastic platform and benefits everyone as the experience one gets here is priceless. There will be an increase in the number of games as we go ahead," he said.

Speaking on SAMAA TV’s show Game Set Match on BCCI's call which could potentially affect Pakistan's international fixture given that the players are not allowed to be part of the IPL owing to political tension between the two nations, Afridi said, “It all comes down to the market and the economy. The biggest [cricket] market is India. Whatever they will say will happen.”

For INR 23,575 crore, The Walt Disney Company India owned Star grabbed the television rights while Viacom18 shelled out INR 23,758 crore to grab the digital rights.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HT Sports Desk
At HT Sports Desk, passionate reporters work round the clock to provide detailed updates from the world of sports. Expect nuanced match reports, previews,reviews, technical analysis based on statistics, the latest social media trends, expert opinions on cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey,motorsports, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics and much more.Read More

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.