Cricket News: How long will the IPL be in the next Future Tours Program (FTP)? | Next FTP to accommodate various T20 leagues around the world
A near-final draft of the Future Tours Program (FTP) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) highlights glaring adjustments to accommodate various T20 franchise leagues in the coming years.
The document, as accessed by ESPNCricinfo, confirms an extended two-and-a-half-month window for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already proposed increasing the number of IPL games per season gradually from 74 in 2023 to 94 in 2027. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had confirmed this developed post the sales of the media rights for the upcoming five years of the league back in June.
Longer IPL in the FTP, space for BBL and Hundred too
Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have also made windows in their home seasons for the Big Bash League (BBL) and the Hundred respectively.
This will mean that Australia and England will not be engaging in international assignments simultaneously with these tournaments as has been the case thus far. However, international cricket will come to a near-halt only during the IPL and not in any of the other mentioned tournaments.
For example, there is a three-week gap from international cricket across July and August in every English summer as per the given draft FTP. This will allow top English players to take part in the Hundred more proactively. Similarly, Australia’s FTP has been cleared from international limited-overs assignments in every coming January barring 2024. However, Test cricket might not be compromised for the same as far as the Aussies are concerned.
Accordingly, spaces have also been made for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in August-September and January respectively. Cricket South Africa (CSA) have made windows clear of international cricket in the Januarys of 2025 and 2026 as they are set to launch their new franchise T20 league early next year. However, they still might have to work their way around visits from India and England for full-fledged Test tours during the same period in 2023-24 and 2027 respectively.