Pak cricket board to challenge BCCI's move to expand IPL window

Lahore: After the BCCI's proposal to expand the proposed two-and-a-half-month expanded slot for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to challenge it at the ICC conference, PTI reported.

At a media briefing at Lahore on Friday, PCB Chairman Ramees Raja said, "There has been no announcement or decision as yet on the IPL window being increased. I will give my views on this issue at the ICC conference."

"My point is clear: if there is any development in world cricket that means we are being short-changed, we will challenge it in a very forceful manner and put our point across strongly in the ICC," he said.

A few weeks earlier, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had announced the board's plan to extend the window for IPL in the ICC's coming FTP cycle from 2024 to 2031. In an exclusive interview with PTI, he said, "From the next FTP cycle, IPL will have an official two-and-a-half-month window so that all the top international cricketers can participate. We have had discussions with various boards as well as the ICC."

Raja further told reporters that Pakistan is keen on playing India, but the political situation is hampering the same. "I have spoken to Saurav (Ganguly) on the sidelines on this, and I told him that presently there are three former cricketers heading their cricket boards, and if they can't make a difference, who will?" he said." Twice Ganguly invited me to attend the IPL finals last year and this year, and cricketing-wise, it made sense to go, but then, because of the situation, we had to look at the fallout of accepting the invitations," he added.