PCB to challenge BCCI’s plan to increase the number of IPL matches

A few weeks back, BCCI secretary Jay Shah put out a statement hinting that the Indian Premier League is likely to increase the number of matches.

The governing body is also in talks with ICC to have a two-and-a-half-month window from the next Future Tours Programme (FTP) cycle from 2024 to 2031. 

This move had immediately irked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who thought it would disturb their bilateral Tours, as almost all the players from different cricket boards would be busy featuring in the IPL. 

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja has claimed that the issue will be discussed in the next ICC meeting. He contended that PCB will challenge the decision and put their viewpoint across firmly if the IPL window is increased. 

"There has been no announcement or decision as yet on the IPL window being increased. I will give my views on this issue at the ICC conference," Raja said during a media conference in Lahore on Friday.

"My point is clear: if there is any development in world cricket that means we are being short-changed, we will challenge it in a very forceful manner and put our point across strongly in the ICC," he said.

Raja also revealed that he had a chat with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and stressed on making a difference in the game, as they are the only three former players heading their respective cricket boards. 

"I have spoken to Saurav (Ganguly) on the sidelines on this and I told him that presently there are three former cricketers heading their cricket boards and if they can't make a difference who will?," Raja said.

The 59-year-old revealed that Ganguly had invited him to the IPL Finals of the 2021 and 2022 editions, but he could not attend due to the political situation involving the two countries. 

"Twice Ganguly has invited me to attend the IPL finals last year and this year and cricketing wise it made sense to go, but then, because of the situation, we had to look at the fallout of accepting the invitations," he added.

Since he was appointed the PCB supremo, Raja has been trying to schedule a match between India and Pakistan. However, the ICC has refused Raja's plan of hosting a quadrangular series involving teams like England, Australia, India, and Pakistan in the last quarterly meeting of the apex board in April.