Reports | IPL Franchises unhappy over BCCI’s non-consideration towards overseas off-season

Since its inception in 2008, in the span of 12 years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has transformed from an ‘innovative idea’ into a gargantuan product that now stands and competes alongside the best in the world. The entirety of the 2009 season and the first half of the 2014 season being held away from home - in South Africa and Dubai respectively - also meant that the product organically expanded its brand value in the global market, hence, in turn, attracting a lot of attention towards it.

However, unlike an NBA or a Football where teams travel abroad and have their pre-season in various parts of the world, franchises in the IPL tend to spend their off-season playing intra-team warm-up games within the country. This, in turn, means that there is very little opportunity for franchises to globalize their brand in the off-season and multiple franchise owners are said to be upset with the BCCI for not taking into consideration of allowing teams to have a full pre-season away from home, despite them making a case for the same for the past 7-8 years. 

“Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals — they’ve all shown interest in playing abroad during the off season (read: when IPL is not on). The BCCI refuses to even take it up officially, despite the GC discussing it in the recent past,” a source in the know told Times of India.

“It will only help the IPL grow outside of India, especially in US, Canada, Singapore and other non-cricketing countries. We can understand that playing in full-member countries is not possible, but why not otherwise?,” said a franchise owner.

With the franchises anyway obliged to shell out 20 percent of their annual income to the BCCI as per the current revenue model, one franchise owner believes that allowing teams to have a pre-season overseas would be a ‘win-win’ situation for both the franchises and the BCCI and further added that no harm will be caused to the board as long as two franchises don’t play each other.

“Why not further the business plan and help franchises become international brands? It’s a win-win,” a franchise executive said. “As long as two or more IPL franchises are not playing between each other overseas, nothing stops them.”