Reports : No bilateral cricket to be played during IPL season
IPL
It is expected that from 2020, the countries won’t play any bilateral series in April and May to allow their players play in the Indian Premier League. The BCCI has suggested this idea in the ICC’s two-day meeting in Singapore and quite sure to get the approval at the next meeting as well.
ICC’s meeting was attended by the chief executives of all the countries on December 7 and 8 where they discussed the Future Tour Programme (FTP) and the Indian cricket board’s official also presented a revised FTP in which the BCCI tried to make a structure to ensure that all other member boards will keep their respective cricketers free from any bilateral commitments during the month of April and May, so that they can easily confirm their participation in the IPL. The England and Wales Cricket Board is the only board which still didn’t commit to the two-month free window, but the Indian board is hopeful that soon the English board will accept the idea as their home summer starts only in the month of June.
The new window will be started after the 2019 ICC World Cup and this point will be discussed at the BCCI's Special General Body (SGM) meeting in New Delhi on Monday.
The introduction of the shortest format of the game had raised many questions over the future of the Test cricket and the 50-over format of the game. But now, people are in love with the shortest format of the game for the fact that it provides a full package of entertainment and through huge IPL revenues, India proved themselves as the biggest game-changer in the world of cricket.
"IPL will be the only global marquee event from 2020," sources in the know of developments said as quoted by TOI.
In the revised FTP which was presented by the Indian board, it seemed that BCCI tried to restructure India’s home season as earlier Indian skipper Virat Kohli raised a question for the packed season this year. The BCCI will not go for any foreign tour between October and November, and February and March, in the next rights cycle from 2019 to 2023.
Ahead of the IPL’s 11th edition, India is scheduled to tour England and Australia in 2018. The BCCI has proposed that when the time comes to tour these countries in the next rights cycle, the tour will be divided into two parts consisting of Tests on one tour and limited-overs games on the next. England and Australia are already following this policy.
In 2021, India will host the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC 50-over World Cup in 2023 and is expected to receive a huge profit as they demanded a hike in hosting fees.
"The revised FTP suggests one simple formula. India will not play meaningless cricket anymore with any team.
"Each member board is committed to six bilateral arrangements in two years. But the ICC cannot dictate the context in the content," say sources close to developments.
An office-bearer, who had the revised FTP and will attend the SGM on Monday, seemed satisfied with the new FTP.
"The FTP could be read along the lines of the same Big Three model that was first presented in 2014. Except that this isn't big three, it's
