IPL window debate: why Juhi Chawla and Lalit Modi want the league moved

The IPL window is up for debate. Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Juhi Chawla has backed a proposal from former IPL chairman Lalit Modi to move the league out of its April–May slot, either to a January start or to a longer October–April calendar.

"The IPL no longer needs to find its place in the cricket calendar. It has earned the right to influence it," Chawla wrote on X on 9 November.

Modi, who founded the IPL and ran it until his suspension by the BCCI in 2010, argues that the IPL is a domestic tournament run by the BCCI, so it does not need an international window. "The BCCI can decide when to stage it," he said. The BCCI has not announced any plan to change the calendar.

Why the April–May window is under pressure

The main argument is the heat. IPL 2026 was scheduled from 26 March to 31 May, and many day matches are played in temperatures around 40°C, which The National calls a health hazard for players.

• Players and fans: Chawla says a cooler window would give players and spectators a better experience.

• A rival league in the same slot: The Pakistan Super League's 2027 edition runs from 18 March to 2 May, overlapping the IPL for a third year in a row.

• Room to grow: The IPL plays 74 matches. IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal has said he hopes to "carve out a bigger window" after 2027, when the international calendar is no longer locked.

Three windows, three trade-offs

Every option fixes one problem and creates another. January brings cooler weather but new clashes; October–April needs the whole cricket world to move.

The winter is already full

A January IPL would land in the busiest stretch of the franchise calendar.

The ILT20 has already moved its fifth season to November–December to avoid clashing with the SA20. There is also a conflict of interest: IPL team owners also co-own SA20 sides, so a January IPL would need careful negotiation over scheduling and player availability.

The second scoreboard: the window is the product

Every match has a price. The IPL's 2023–27 media rights sold for ₹48,390.5 crore (about $6.2 billion) for up to 410 matches, roughly ₹118 crore per match. Per match, that puts the IPL second only to the NFL and ahead of football's Premier League. More matches, or a better window, means more to sell.

The timing matters. The current rights cycle ends in 2027, the same year the international calendar unlocks. Whatever window the BCCI picks will shape what broadcasters pay in the next auction. That is why Dhumal's push to go beyond 74 matches after 2027 matters as much as the weather.

Calendar power. Modi compares the IPL to the Premier League and points out that Indian film releases and TV schedules already adjust around it. Dhumal has described the new pattern as fewer bilateral series, more league cricket and ICC events in between. The IPL is no longer asking for a gap; it is deciding where the gaps go.

Owners sit on both sides. IPL owners also run teams in other leagues, so a move would reshape the value of their own wider portfolios, not just the IPL.

Home games are revenue. A January IPL that cannot play in Delhi, Punjab or Lucknow would cost those teams home crowds and matchday income, the same local fan base that also follows India's international side, from record powerplays to IPL nights.

The risk: other boards and leagues would have to agree. If they do not, the IPL could win better weather but lose some of the overseas stars that make it global.

The takeaway

The IPL window debate is really about power. A league worth about ₹118 crore a match can now ask the rest of cricket to move around it. Moving to January or October–April would ease the heat, but it would collide with a crowded winter of leagues and international cricket. The real decision will likely come when the BCCI plans the calendar and the media rights cycle after 2027.

At The Sports Columnist, we cover the money, deals and decisions behind sport. Every game has a second scoreboard, and the IPL's next move may be on the calendar, not the field.

Data note: the IPL 2026 dates are as reported before the season; league windows are as announced for 2026–27 and may change. The BCCI has not announced any change to the IPL window.

If you could pick one month for the world's biggest T20 league, which would it be?