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MUMBAI: The BCCI is thinking of launching a second tier Indian Premier League (IPL), a move that can deeply influence the economy of the sport. Though details of the plan are not known, it will mean creating another window for the IPL. The T20 format will further overshadow the business dynamics of the sport. “We are thinking of launching a tier-2 IPL,” Congress leader and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said in an interview. He was interviewed by The Indian Express. Being a global product, the BCCI is also planning to make the IPL bigger. “We are working on taking it overseas next year,” Shukla said.
Shukla believes that the IPL has become a punching bag. “Last month, Maharashtra hosted 24 World T20 matches. Same amount of water was used. The arrangements were the same. But nobody raised a single question against it. As soon as it was over, the IPL issue was raised and people filed PILs. Every year during the IPL season, even a small issue becomes big. It could be because of television, for the sake of TRPs, every small issue linked to the IPL is highlighted,” he said.
Speaking on the recommendations of the Justice Lodha panel, Shukla said that some of them were not practical. A case in point is the advertisement clause. “It cannot be implemented. By implementing it, the BCCI will become the poorest board in the world,” he said in the interview. The panel has recommended that the live broadcast can be interrupted for advertisements only during drinks, lunch and tea breaks.
The BCCI has done great work in building infrastructure and organises 55,000 matches every year. From five stadiums there are now 22 venues. “We don’t get any government grants and we still pay Rs 25,000 crore as taxes,” Shukla told IE.
Shukla finds nothing wrong in cricket bodies being controlled by politicians. “Those who are committed to developing the game, who really want to do something, there is nothing wrong in such people joining sports organisations,” he said.
Read more at: BCCI mulls launching a tier-2 IPL | TelevisionPost.com | TelevisionPost.com
Shukla believes that the IPL has become a punching bag. “Last month, Maharashtra hosted 24 World T20 matches. Same amount of water was used. The arrangements were the same. But nobody raised a single question against it. As soon as it was over, the IPL issue was raised and people filed PILs. Every year during the IPL season, even a small issue becomes big. It could be because of television, for the sake of TRPs, every small issue linked to the IPL is highlighted,” he said.
Speaking on the recommendations of the Justice Lodha panel, Shukla said that some of them were not practical. A case in point is the advertisement clause. “It cannot be implemented. By implementing it, the BCCI will become the poorest board in the world,” he said in the interview. The panel has recommended that the live broadcast can be interrupted for advertisements only during drinks, lunch and tea breaks.
The BCCI has done great work in building infrastructure and organises 55,000 matches every year. From five stadiums there are now 22 venues. “We don’t get any government grants and we still pay Rs 25,000 crore as taxes,” Shukla told IE.
Shukla finds nothing wrong in cricket bodies being controlled by politicians. “Those who are committed to developing the game, who really want to do something, there is nothing wrong in such people joining sports organisations,” he said.
Read more at: BCCI mulls launching a tier-2 IPL | TelevisionPost.com | TelevisionPost.com
