The popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been growing with each passing year and it has been triggering the debate over the future of bilateral ODI cricket. However, weighing on the same, former India head coach Ravi Shastri reckons that he will not be surprised to see two IPL seasons in a year. Shastri feels IPL can be expanded two seasons in a year and with that the number of teams can also be increased if the demand of matches increases.

During a recent chat on Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club Podcast, Ravi Shastri said, “I think you might have two (IPL) seasons. I wouldn’t be surprised at all. If bilateral cricket is reduced, you might well have a shorter format of the IPL in the latter half of the year, more like a World Cup format with a knockout that decides the winner. The full competition with 10 teams could go to 12 teams in the future with the schedule stretching from one-and-a-half to two months.”

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The former India head coach reckons that the rise in popularity of IPL has proved that T20 cricket is the way forward and the expansion of the league will only result in the betterment of the game as IPL has become a brand in itself. Ravi Shastri feels franchise cricket should be encouraged over bilaterals as far as T20s are concerned with emphasis on having World Cup as the major event.

Ravi Shastri elaborated, “I would be a little careful of the number of bilateral splits, especially in T20 cricket. There’s a lot of franchise cricket that can be encouraged, whichever country it’s in – India, West Indies, or Pakistan. You play fewer bilaterals and then you get together for the World Cups. So the emphasis on ICC World Cup events has become paramount. Then people look forward to them.”

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While IPL is arguably the best T20 league in the current scenario, Australia, Pakistan, England, and West Indies all have their own domestic T20 franchise leagues where cricketers have been taking part from across the globe ply their trade.