The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen to hold a mini-IPL abroad in September. But BCCI will first have to fend off competition from the International Cricket Council (ICC), which itself is keen to hold an international T20 tournament in that period.
The BCCI has been eyeing the September slot since 2014, when it scrapped the loss-making T20 Champions League - which it owned along with its Australian and South African counterparts. Last year, it was keen to hold a mini-IPL, involving all its existing franchises, but postponed the idea after it plunged into crisis thanks to internal tussles and legal battles.
Now, with the BCCI preparing to toe the Supreme Court's line, the idea of starting a mini-IPL is once again gaining momentum. "It can be a great testing ground for what is possible in terms of reaching out to the Indian fan base abroad. It can be made financially viable if a market like the US is explored. Frankly, if the broadcaster finds it appealing then a lot of things fall into place," a source close to development said.
A mini-IPL held overseas could help generate some much needed revenue and the broadcast rights could be offered to Star to assuage it for the losses suffered by restrictions on ads. However, the ICC is also eyeing the September window. The ICC had decided that the World T20 would henceforth be held once every four years instead of every two years. But with the recent World T20 in India proving the most successful ever, the game's parent body, under its new independent chairman Shashank Manohar, is learnt to be considering a swift rollback of plans.
According to some estimates, close to 85 million people watched the India-West Indies semifinal on television, while larger figures were recorded digitally.
"Bilateral T20 Internationals are both rare and devoid of any context. But international tournaments get great numbers. It makes sense for ICC to revert back to the old logic of having one ICC event every year and thereby one World T20 every two years," said a source.
A look at the tour programme reveals that there are only two windows every year over the next decade or so. One window is in April-May, but that would clash with the IPL. The other is in September. If the ICC wants to hold a World T20 every two years, that is the logical time to hold it.
The idea was mooted during a meet of the BCCI in Dharmasala recently and according to an official US was one of the country to host the event, adding that other venues, including those in the UAE where a part of IPL-7 was held, may also be considered.
