I will give my views on this issue at the ICC conference: Ramiz Raja on proposed IPL expansion

Tags: IPL, south Africa, jean Paul duminy, PCB, ICC, BCCI, Ramiz Hasan Raja, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly

Published on: Jun 25, 2022

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to raise the issue of the proposed two-and-a-half month expanded window for the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the next ICC conference. PCB chairman Ramiz Raja has confirmed the same.

While admitting that there has been no announcement or decision as yet on the IPL window being increased, he said at a press conference, "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.”

The former Pakistan captain’s statement just a few days after the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, confirmed to news agency PTI that the Indian cricket board would be getting an expanded window for the IPL in the ICC's next FTP cycle, from 2024 till 2031

"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," Shah was quoted as saying by PTI.

During the media interaction, Raja also opened up on the relations between India and Pakistan. He revealed that BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had invited him to the IPL, but he could not accept the invitation owing to the political tension between the countries.

Raja explained, "I have spoken to Sourav (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 added, "Twice Ganguly has 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.”

Owing to strained political relations between the two countries, India and Pakistan only meet in ICC events like the World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy.

–By A Cricket Correspondent

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