The International Cricket Council will be looking to see if the IPL merits a window in the calendar. The players think so and certainly the new chief executive thinks so too. But you need to look beyond the first year. Currently we are looking at six weeks. If the IPL becomes what the franchise owners hope it will be, there will need to be more teams, more matches, longer seasons. That will be inevitable if this is a big hit in the first year because franchises will be looking for returns on investment and a longer season might benefit them.

So how long does the window become? Eight weeks? Push the English season back by a month? End the Australian season early? What about Tests in the West Indies and Sri Lanka? What about the ten-year calendar?

The franchise holders will sit down in the first week of June and see if it has been worth it. Their assessment of success will be based on the number of people who come in through the gates, the number of people who watch and the possibility of merchandising and countering the instantly available fakes in the market. They will also want a few more guarantees with respect to scheduling and, therefore, with the choice of players. Before they sit down for their next round of spending, they will have to know what they are buying. Do they have a player for the entire season? Will he suddenly go away to play a domestic tournament? Franchisees are not in this for mindless spending and they will want a clearer picture next time.

... contd.