CHENNAI: As the International Cricket Council revealed the calendar for every men's global event till 2035, one interesting aspect might slip under the radar. The 2026 men's T20 World Cup, which India won on March 8, will be the last ICC event to be held in the first half of the calendar year till 2035.
The ICC has effectively kept the calendar clear of global events till the months of June (usually reserved for World Test Championship finals) and July (two T20 World Cups). Barring that, all other ICC events — two T20 WCs, three ODI World Cups and two Champions Trophies — in the next nine years are set to be played in the October-November window.
Why is that interesting? Because, it comes at a time when voices within the ecosystem are growing towards an expansion and earlier start for the Indian Premier League. In replying to a social media post by former IPL chair Lalit Modi, Juhi Chawla, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, said that IPL has earned the right to influence the cricket calendar. She went on to suggest that the tournament could start in January instead of running through April-May as it does now. "The IPL has evolved. Perhaps its calendar should too now!," she had written last week.
In the days that followed, Ness Wadia, co-owner of Punjab Kings, reportedly endorsed the idea of the league starting in January. "It's a good opportunity as long as the window permits. It does get a bit hot also (March-May). And then rain comes in sometimes. But it all depends on the window. And IPL is the leader. So why not lead into that as long as the window can allow," he was quoted saying by the PTI.
The biggest franchise-based T20 league used to run from April till May when it began in 2008. But, in the last six seasons, only once it started in April. Since 2022, every season has started in the third or fourth week of March and runs till the last week of May. Next year, the BCCI is looking to start the IPL as early as March 10 and end by mid May to avoid playing in extreme heat during the business end.
In the past, ICC events have happened in February-March — 2025 Champions Trophy, 2026 T20 World cup for example — but now, there are no global tournaments to block the calendar. Is that a direct indication of the IPL factor? One cannot necessarily say so. At least, not yet. The BCCI has not yet opened the doors officially about an expansion from ten teams to 12 teams or a potential preponement of the league. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, while declining any formal or informal discussions on expansion, did not react on a potential January window for the IPL. "We are concerned about hosting the 2027 IPL, which is going to start in March 2027. That's all," he was quoted saying by PTI.
Even if the BCCI wanted to, now that there are no ICC events from January to March, it is not a straightforward call. There are other ICC sanctioned T20 leagues too in the calendar. As things stand, the SA20 league — where all six owners are IPL franchise-based — has made the January-February window its own (Jan 17, 2027 to Feb 21, 2027). Australia's Big Bash League too will run from December to January (Dec 12, 2026 to Jan 26, 2027). Apart from that, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia's home season runs deep into February-March. Which is why, it will also depend on the upcoming Future Tours Programme (2027-31) which is still in the works.
The ICC — which now has a Franchise League Review Group featuring former Bangladesh opener and current BCB president Tamim Iqbal, Richard Gould (CEO ECB), Todd Greenberg (CEO CA) and Saikia (secretary BCCI) — has been working towards finalising the schedule for the next four years. One that is likely to see more T20Is and less bilateral ODIs. How it shapes up will reveal more on the way forward for the IPL in the years to come.
