IPL to feature 94 matches in 2028 season?

The Indian Premier League chairman, Arun Dhumal, revealed on Monday that the league could expand to a full home-and-away, 94-match schedule when its next media-rights cycle begins in 2028, although adding new teams is off the table for now.

Since 2022 the IPL has featured 74 games, following the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.

A planned rise to 84 matches in 2025 was shelved amid a crowded international calendar and broadcasters’ concerns about too many double-headers. Nevertheless, the idea of further expansion remains alive.

Under the current Future Tours Programme, the IPL window runs from mid-March to the end of May for the next two years.

To extend that window — or add matches within it — will mean negotiating around bilateral series and ICC tournaments.

Dhumal admitted a jump to 84 or 94 games ‘may not be possible in the short term,’ but insisted the board will revisit it when the time is right.

“Every team playing every other team home and away would require 94 games,” Dhumal told media.

“We have discussed this internally at the BCCI and with the ICC. Fans’ interest in T20 and franchise cricket is growing, so we must explore how to create maximum value for all stakeholders,” he added.

Franchise officials say they would back a 94-match season, but any increase hinges on the broadcaster's buy-in. Television and streaming figures often dip mid-season, which rights-holders blame on viewer fatigue.

A full home and away format would likely add two weeks to the Indian Premier League (IPL) current nine-week slot.

Despite investors' interest in more teams, Dhumal stressed that ten franchises are ‘a good number for now.’

He highlighted that maintaining the tournament’s quality is paramount and that any future decision on expansion will depend on how the cricket landscape evolves.