BCCI considers moving IPL to September-October amid expansion plans and heat

"Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is evaluating the possibility of shifting the Indian Premier League from its traditional March-May window to a September-October schedule as rising summer temperatures, player fatigue and future expansion plans create fresh scheduling challenges. Speaking to Sportstar, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said discussions around the tournament"s future calendar have intensified as the league considers increasing the number of matches from the 2028 season onwards.

While there are no immediate plans to move away from the current window that the IPL has occupied since its launch in 2008, Dhumal said alternative slots are being explored. “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 in the tournament window could also boost the league"s commercial appeal by aligning it more closely with the festive advertising season leading up to Diwali, potentially creating stronger monetisation opportunities for broadcasters, franchises and sponsors.

He added that any major scheduling decision would require discussions with broadcasters and other stakeholders across international cricket. The move is being considered amid growing concerns over extreme weather conditions during the latter half of the tournament. Several IPL venues experience intense heat and high humidity in May, leading to player fatigue, cramps, dehydration and soft-tissue injuries. Dhumal also said the BCCI is examining whether the tournament could eventually be split across two separate 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 over a two-month period and attracts players from nearly every major cricketing nation. However, the increasingly packed international cricket calendar has added to concerns around player workload, with many cricketers moving directly from bilateral series and ICC tournaments into the IPL with limited recovery time."