“Players are going to have to make hard choices between country and franchise” - Brad Hogg on impact of IPL expansion 

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg reckons that the expansion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will leave players with no option but to make a choice between country and franchise.

Earlier this month, IPL’s media rights for the next five-year cycle (2023-2027) were sold for a whopping ₹48,390 crores. Following the much-hyped e-auction, the Indian T20 league is now the second-most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per match value.

In a related development, BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently confirmed that the cricket board is in talks with the ICC and fellow member boards with regards to having a bigger window for the IPL. Sharing his views on the topic, Hogg opined in an Instagram video:

“Players are going to have to make hard choices between country and franchise.”

He also shared concerns over the possibility of fans having to watch too much cricket and added:

“I’m worried about the fans - Is there going to be too much cricket on the TV through this IPL period or are you (fans) happy with these extra games?”

Sharing his own thoughts on the likelihood of extra IPL games, Hogg candidly said:

“I just think we might be pushing the boundaries here.”

While IPL 2021 featured 60 matches and eight teams, the 2022 edition saw the number of games being increased to 74 following the addition of two new franchises.

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“Extra strain on the international calendar” - Brad Hogg on further increase in IPL games

According to some reports, future IPL seasons are likely to have more than 90 matches, with the tournament to be played over two and a half months. Hogg believes that this somewhat inevitable expansion will have a major impact on the international calendar. He said:

“Well done to the BCCI for getting the big cash for the IPL. But now these media companies need to finance the bill and the only way to do that is to get extra revenue from advertising. The BCCI have helped them out by pushing the IPL tournament out to go over two and a half months."

Hogg concluded:

“There are going to be 90-plus games. That’s going to put an extra strain on the international calendar. Extra strain on other countries being able to play their T20 tournaments to try and get extra cash flow for their cricket.”

The 2022 IPL edition concluded on May 29 in Ahmedabad, with debutants Gujarat Titans (GT) defeating inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the final by seven wickets.