The Board of Control for Cricket in India is evaluating the possibility of moving the Indian Premier League from its traditional March-May slot to a September-October window as concerns around extreme heat, player fatigue and future expansion plans gather momentum.
Speaking to Sportstar, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said discussions around the tournament calendar have intensified with the league considering an increase in the number of matches from the 2028 season onwards.
While there are no immediate plans to move the tournament away from its long-standing summer schedule, Dhumal said the BCCI is actively exploring alternative windows.
“One suggestion was a window in September-October. That is the best time from an advertiser’s point of view because it is just before Diwali. We will look at that when the next bilateral tender comes into play, in case we can find a window there,” Dhumal told Sportstar.
A shift to the September-October period could significantly enhance the league’s commercial appeal by aligning it with the festive advertising season ahead of Diwali, potentially creating stronger monetisation opportunities for broadcasters, franchises and sponsors.
Dhumal added that any major scheduling change would require extensive discussions with broadcasters, international boards and other stakeholders given the increasingly crowded global cricket calendar.
The move is also being considered amid growing concerns over harsh weather conditions during the latter half of the IPL season. Several venues experience intense heat and high humidity in May, leading to player fatigue, dehydration, cramps and soft-tissue injuries.
The IPL chairman further revealed that the BCCI is also examining the feasibility of splitting the tournament across two windows in the calendar.
“We are also looking if we can find a window from February to April and then later in the year,” he said.
The IPL currently features 74 matches involving 10 teams across a two-month period and attracts players from almost every major cricketing nation. However, the packed international schedule has increasingly raised concerns around player workload, with many cricketers moving directly from bilateral assignments and ICC tournaments into the league with limited recovery time.
