IPL will become world's biggest sporting league, Indians to remain away from overseas leagues:Dhumal
New Delhi (PTI): New IPL chairman Arun Dhumal sees cricket's premier T20 tournament becoming the biggest sporting league in the world in the next five years and says the board also has a clear vision for Women's IPL.
Speaking to PTI, Dhumal talked about his long term plans for the IPL, why there can't be more than 10 teams and why the BCCI will stick to its longtime stance on not allowing the Indian players to take part in overseas leagues.
IPL has become the second most valued sporting league globally in terms of per match value after the media rights for the 2023-2027 cycle fetched a staggering Rs 48,390 crore.
Though it has a much shorter window compared to football leagues like EPL or the NFL in the United States, the IPL is likely to have a two and half month exclusive window comprising a maximum of 94 games with 10 teams.
Dhumal said constant innovation is the need of the hour and there is no reason why IPL can't become the biggest sporting league worldwide.
"The IPL will be much bigger than what it is and will be the number one sports league in the world," Dhumal told PTI when asked about how the BCCI plans to raise the bar for the crown jewel of Indian cricket.
Fans have contributed most to what the IPL has become and Dhumal said plans are in place to substantially improve their viewing experience.
"We are definitely looking at various innovations that can be brought to make it more fan friendly. For those who are watching it on Tv and those who are experiencing at the stadium, we want them to have a better experience.
"If we can make the IPL schedule well in advance, people from all around the world can plan their travel accordingly. It should be a value for money experience for the fans," he said.
'Teams will stay at 10 only'
The BCCI mopped up over Rs 12000 crore by adding two new teams to the competition but it is highly unlikely that the number will go beyond 10, said the IPL boss.
A total number of 74 games were held this season and in the new cycle, the number of matches could go up to 94 with existing teams.
"Teams will stay at 10 only. If you increase that, it becomes difficult to have the tournament in one go. We are looking at 74 games to begin with for the first two seasons, then 84 and if things permit may be 94 in the fifth year of the media rights cycle, that it self would make it a long enough event," said Dhumal.
"We can't compare ourselves to football and other sporting leagues around the world as the requirement in cricket is totally different. You can't play on the same pitches for six months."
'Keeping players well-being in mind, BCCI will keep them away from other leagues'
The mushrooming T20 leagues around the world has put pressure on the BCCI to release its sought after players for overseas tournaments. The IPL owners have bought all six teams in the all new South Africa league and understandably want some Indian presence in the competition.
Referring to both contract and non-contracted India players, Dhumal said the BCCI has no plans to change its existing policy of preserving its players amid a hectic calendar.
"This in principle is the decision of BCCI that our contracted players can't go and play for other leagues. As it is there is so much of cricket happening. Keeping in mind their overall well-being that decision has been taken. As of now we stick to that decision.
"Even the non contracted ones are aspiring to play for India," he said.
However, the BCCI is very much open to IPL teams' longstanding request to take the tournament overseas by staging a few exhibition games.
"With the Indian diaspora all across the globe, we would want to increase the reach of this tournament further but it has to be rightly timed. That is very important. We will evaluate and when the time is right we will take it overseas.
"The international FTP is so tight that player availability needs to be looked at before taking a call on that," he said before wishing the two new leagues in South Africa and UAE the "very best".
'Women's IPL will be a world class property'
The inaugural WIPL will be held in March next year with five teams but sale of teams has not been conducted yet. There is plenty of interest to buy teams and there is possibility that they operate out of smaller centres in India.
"The way we are planning for this Women's IPL is that we will have new set of fans joining the game. There are lot of female fans who have added to the IPL fan base and this tournament will only add to that and many more would want to take up the sport as a profession. That was the idea behind announcing equal pay (for women India cricketers).
"Fans should make it to the stadium in large numbers whether we have the WIPL in rural areas or main city centres. We will evaluate that and take a call soon," he said.
On revenue projection for the tournament, Dhumal added: "We are creating a new property and it has to be world class. We are not really bothered about the numbers.
"We are working on making it one of the best women's cricket tournament in the world. What we did in the IPL, we want to do something similar with WIPL."
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Congress not just removed clothes at AI Summit but exposed its intellectual bankruptcy: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday came down heavily on the Congress for the shirtless protest by its youth wing members at the AI Impact Summit recently, saying the opposition party can tear as many clothes as it wants, but his government will continue to work for the country's progress.
Addressing the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Modi also said that the Congress did not just remove its clothes in front of foreign guests but also exposed its intellectual bankruptcy, asserting that the millennials have already taught the country's oldest party a lesson, and now Gen-Z is ready to do the same.
In an apparent jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi said the opposition was unhappy seeing the statue of "Babbar Shers" (lions) installed atop the new Parliament building, but their own “Babbar Shers" were running away after facing the "shoes" of the general public.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had said on February 24 that he was proud of the "Babbar Shers" of the Indian Youth Congress, who "fearlessly" raised their voice at the AI Summit.
"Congress ke Babbar Sher logon ki jute kha ke bhaag gaye (The 'lions' of Congress ran away after being hit by shoes by the public)," Modi said.
The prime minister was apparently referring to the protesting Youth Congress workers being heckled by some people at the AI Summit.
On February 20, a group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a dramatic protest inside Hall No. 5 of the summit venue in Delhi by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with anti-government slogans, triggering a political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress.
“Congress can tear as many clothes as it wants, but we will continue to work for India's development. Congress not just shed clothes at the AI Summit, it also exposed its incapabilities in front of foreign guests,” Modi said in his nearly 45-minute speech.
He said the AI Summit was a moment of pride for the entire nation, but unfortunately, Congress attempted to tarnish this national celebration.
"When the frustration and despair of failure weigh on the mind, and arrogance makes one's head spin, such a mindset emerges to defame the country," he said.
The prime minister also alleged that the Congress always takes refuge in Mahatma Gandhi to hide its failures, but tries to give credit to one family for anything good.
"People of our country welcomed every good step taken by our government, but the Congress only knows how to oppose everything. The votes of Congress are not stolen; rather, people do not consider Congress worthy of their votes. Millennials first taught a lesson to Congress, now Gen-Z is ready to do the same," he said.
Modi also said that in a democracy, the role of the opposition is not just about blindly opposing every move of the government, but presenting an alternative vision, and that is why the "enlightened public" of the country is "teaching a lesson" to Congress now.
In 1984, the Congress got 39 per cent of the votes and more than 400 seats. But its votes declined consistently in the subsequent elections, Modi said.
"Today, the condition of the Congress is such that it has more than 50 MLAs in just four states. Over the past 40 years, the number of young voters in the country has increased, but the Congress has clearly diminished," Modi said.
On the recent trade deals that India signed with foreign countries, Modi said the country has discovered its inherent strength and strengthened its institutions, which prompted developed nations to come forward and sign deals with India.
He also said that even after Independence, some people ensured that the colonial mindset remained for their own benefits.
"No country would have done trade deals with us had we not discovered our inherent strength and strengthened our institutions. Because of this, developed nations have come forward to sign trade deals (with India)," he said.
Modi also said that even after Independence, India was unable to break free from the mentality of slavery, for which the country is still paying the price.
"The latest example of this can be seen in the ongoing discussions on trade deals. Some people are shocked – ‘what has happened, how did this happen? Why are developed countries so eager to do trade deals with India?’ The answer is – a confident India is emerging from despair and frustration," he said.
Over the long span of history, centuries of slavery had instilled a feeling of inferiority, while the ideology imported from other countries deeply ingrained in society the notion that Indians were uneducated and subservient, the prime minister said.
"If the country was still mired in the despair of the pre-2014 era, counted among the 'Fragile Five', and gripped by policy paralysis, who would strike a trade deal with us?
"Over the past 11 years, a new surge of energy has flowed into the nation's consciousness. India is now striving to reclaim its lost potential," Modi said.
The prime minister also said that due to the recent series of reforms initiated by his government, the world's most powerful nations are now coming forward to sign trade deals with India.
"There was a time when India was only a consumer of new technology. But now we are not just developing them, but also setting standards," he said.
The prime minister also said that India's digital public infrastructure has become a subject of global discussion today, and every move India makes is closely watched and analysed across the world.
"The AI Summit was a clear example of this," he said.
The government's 'Viksit Bharat by 2047' is not a political slogan but an effort to correct the mistakes of the previous Congress governments by making India self-reliant, he said.
“So far, in every industrial revolution, India and the Global South largely remained followers, but in this age of artificial intelligence (AI), India is not only participating but is also shaping it. India now has its own AI startup ecosystem,” Modi said.
He also said the world is astonished that India, where around 30 million families lived in darkness until 2014, has now risen to become one of the top countries in solar power capacity.
India, where many cities had no hope of improving their public transport system, has now become the country with the world's third-largest Metro network, Modi said.
“The Indian Railways was known only for chronic delays and sluggish speeds, yet semi-high-speed connectivity like Vande Bharat and Namo Bharat has now become possible,” he said.
Nation-building never happens through short-term thinking; it is shaped by a long-term vision, patience and timely decisions, the prime minister added.
