IPL 2025 to have 74 matches as BCCI not keen on adding to players’ workload

Even though the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had listed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and 2026 to host 84 matches each during the media rights sale in 2022, they decided not to increase the players' workload and will stick with 74 matches. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah revealed that the players' workload is the major reason behind BCCI's decision to break its word and limit the IPL to its current avatar.

"We have not taken a call on organising 84 matches in IPL 2025 since we also have to factor the load on the players due to the increase in matches," Jay Shah, the outgoing BCCI secretary, told the Economic Times recently. 

"While it's [84 matches] part of the contract, it's up to the BCCI to decide whether to organise 74 or 84 matches."

The BCCI sold the media rights for a whopping sum of INR 48,390.5 crore in 2022 for a five-year period, which made BCCI the biggest sporting league in the world in terms of per-match fees. Adding more matches would have been in the best interest of the broadcasters, who would have had more run-time for advertisements.

A part of the deal in 2022 was digital rights in India to a special package of high-profile games, which normally range between 18 and 22 per season. The increase in the number of games would have increased the proportionate number of matches in a season, making BCCI some more money. However, with IPL contributing to a lot of burnout among players, a careful decision has been taken.

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