Ness Wadia, co-owner of the Punjab Kings, is all for the Champions League’s resuscitation, but first he wants to see more games added to the Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule.
During the previous edition, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal discussed the potential of expanding the number of games from the current 74 to 94 starting in 2028 when the next media rights cycle begins.
Wadia stated that while the resumption of the Champions League T20 would shorten the lengthy gap between the IPL and the auction, additional games would be prudent for the IPL. Additionally, he applauded the tendency of having the auction abroad.
While the auction takes place in December, the IPL typically takes place between March and May.
“The BCCI and everyone involved, all the franchises, all of us together, we should look back and be very proud of what has been achieved. Going forward, it would be good to have more matches, we can start with two extra games (for every team),” said Wadia.
“Also, at some point, we need to look at reviving the Champions League to shorten the gap between the end of the IPL and the auction and keep that excitement alive.
“And bringing in the international exposure by having auctions in Jeddah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi (next month), that only brings more eyeballs and gets a better connect for IPL as a brand.”
The BCCI and other boards, among other stakeholders, are attempting to bring the Champions League back as early as next year. In the tournament’s most recent iteration, which took place in 2014, T20 teams from all around the world faced off.
“One would want an extension of the IPL, which I hope will happen sooner than later. As far as the Champions League is concerned, maybe it was too early at the time (back in 2014). Maybe there were things to learn from it. But I think conceptually, it’s a good concept. It really makes us have more exposure.
“If you look at football, there’s the league games, there’s the international games, and then there’s the championships games between the UEFA Champions League and European League, etc. But here we’ve got the IPL, you’ve got Indian cricket, and other countries that are playing, which people watch.
“If you have the Champions League, I think that triangle would be a good thing to do. But definitely, we need more matches in the IPL first,” stated Wadia, whose team, coached by Ricky Ponting and captained by Shreyas Iyer, made it to its first IPL final since 2014 this year.
The IPL’s overall brand value would rise with a larger window. Due to a shorter window, the league only behind the NFL in terms of value per game, but it still lags behind the NBA and the EPL in terms of total value.
Increasing the IPL window is more difficult than ever because bilateral cricket is still a crucial component of international cricket and rival T20 leagues with IPL owners are proliferating. It is also necessary to consider the window for ICC events.
“So, there’s a lot of things to balance out. You just don’t have the IPL, there is international cricket with multiple formats, which is not the case with football. The IPL since it came in, has managed to keep the window it is. And I think if we can just expand that window, the horizon of the IPL increases,” said Wadia.
How would the IPL’s brand worth increase over the next ten years, taking into account the space limitations for a larger window?
“Of course, the value would go up. At the end of the day, it’s again difficult to compare (IPL with the likes of NFL, NBA, EPL). Because those are established leagues and have been running for decades. They don’t have the same international and domestic responsibilities compared to the IPL.
“India is an emerging market and it is getting there and another very important part we need to keep in mind is the disposable income to come and enjoy the IPL experience with all its thrills and frills.
“People are doing it now in India but you can’t compare with the established sporting leagues because the disposable income is much, much higher in those countries,” reasoned Wadia.
Wadia stated that the tendency of IPL owners funding foreign leagues is evidence of the league’s enormous success.
