The IPL could witness a massive change from the 2028 season onward. It is something many fans have wanted for a long time. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has revealed that the BCCI is seriously looking at bringing back a complete home-away format for every franchise.
If the plan goes ahead, each team will play nine matches at home and nine away during the league stage. That means every franchise would get a fair and balanced schedule, something that became difficult after the tournament expanded from eight teams to ten in 2022.
Right now, IPL teams play 14 league games each. The format changed after the arrival of Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. Since then, teams have been divided into two groups of five, and not every side plays the others equally during the season.
BCCI plans longer IPL window to accommodate 94 matches from 2028
It is evident that the current structure keeps the tournament compact. However, many fans still miss the older format where every team faced each other both home and away. That system gave supporters more opportunities to watch big teams and star players at their home grounds. Now, the BCCI appears ready to move back in that direction.
“With the given set of teams, only we can go for more number of matches,” Dhumal was quoted as saying by India Today.
His statement clearly suggests that the board does not want to add more franchises anytime soon. Instead of expanding beyond 10 teams, the focus now seems to be on increasing the number of matches.
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“So it doesn’t make sense as of now to increase the number of teams. Because if we have to have an equal number of home and away matches, from 74 we can go up to 94. That would be the ideal situation,” he added.
A jump from 74 matches to 94 matches would completely change the scale of the IPL season. However, bringing in 94 matches will not be easy at all in the first place. Arun Dhumal drops huge update on IPL expansion and home-away formatThe biggest obstacle is time.
At present, the international cricket calendar remains packed with bilateral series, ICC tournaments, and domestic commitments. The current Future Tours Programme (FTP) is locked until 2027, which leaves the BCCI with only a limited window of around 60 to 65 days for the IPL.
Because of that, extending the tournament immediately looks difficult. The other option would be to schedule more double headers, where two matches happen on the same day. But broadcasters reportedly dislike that idea because it divides television audiences and affects advertising revenue.
Dhumal admitted that the BCCI needs a bigger window if it wants to increase the number of IPL matches. “Since the bilaterals are locked in till 2027, we would need a bigger window to raise the number of games from 74 to 94. So we are looking for a bigger window post-2027 bilateral cycle. In case we can get that, we will definitely try to have 94 games,” Dhumal explained.
That statement gives a strong hint about the BCCI’s future plans. The board wants the IPL to grow further, but it also knows that international cricket schedules must adjust to make that happen. The IPL has already become the biggest franchise T20 league in the world. Every season attracts global stars, massive sponsorships, and record-breaking viewership numbers. Because of that popularity, the BCCI may eventually succeed in securing a longer exclusive window for the tournament.
If the 94-match structure becomes reality, IPL seasons could feel bigger than ever before. Fans would get more rivalries, more blockbuster clashes, and more cricket in packed stadiums across the country.
For now, nothing has been finalized. But Dhumal’s comments clearly show that the BCCI is thinking long-term, and the return of a complete home-away IPL format may only be a matter of time.
