India is hosting 3 ODI series against Afghanistan in June ahead of the World Cup. The series will also result in the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) hiring an interim broadcaster. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah confirmed both developments on Friday. “The media rights tender will go live as planned this year (June-July). It will depend on the Afghanistan tour, but the process will start more closely with the Australia series (in September).” Shah said during an interview with here select media Interaction.
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“The Board will speak to all concerned and make a preliminary decision (for the station).” The Afghanistan series, which is not included in the Future Tours program, offers captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid three additional opportunities to test new combinations ahead of the World Cup. It will begin on October 5th. The series is expected to begin on June 16, five days after the scheduled conclusion of India’s World Test Championship final against Australia. As the broadcasting agreement between BCCI and Star India expired at the end of March, it will be interesting to see if BCCI only bids for the Afghanistan series. As Shah has indicated, the next four-year media rights tender will begin in September with India’s three ODIs against Australia. Those will be the home and away format for WPL 2024.
Meanwhile, Shah confirmed that the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will switch to a two-way format from its second edition in 2024 and also admitted that the BCCI is considering admitting the WPL into the Diwali window embarrassed.
“We are considering the possibility of scheduling the WPL in home and away format in the Diwali time slot; not two seasons in one year. Just a different window of time,” Shah said. “Women’s cricket now has a dedicated viewer base and that number will continue to grow. We look forward to encouraging participation at the upcoming WPL.”
