Has the IPL ever affected bilateral cricket scheduling?


IPL 2023 Winner

the IPL has significantly influenced bilateral cricket scheduling over the years, often creating tension between boards, reshaping calendars, and even shifting the way international series are planned. Here's how it's unfolded:

🗓️ 1. IPL's Fixed Window – The Calendar's Powerhouse

  • Since its inception in 2008, the IPL has steadily carved out an exclusive window (March to May) in the ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP).

  • Boards avoid scheduling major bilateral series during this time to ensure players’ availability—and to not compete with IPL viewership.

🔹 Result: IPL became immovable in the global cricket calendar.

🏏 2. Boards vs Leagues – The Tug of War

🔥 Australia:

  • For years, Cricket Australia didn’t allow contracted players to participate in the entire IPL season. That’s changed.

  • Now, they wrap up international commitments early to free players for the IPL—especially key white-ball stars.

🔥 England:

  • England players were often recalled mid-season (e.g., for Tests).

  • But with growing T20 importance, ECB started aligning schedules to let top players (like Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes) play full IPL seasons.

🔥 West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand:

  • Boards frequently lose players to IPL during bilateral matches.

  • Resulted in second-string squads being fielded in international series during IPL time.

⏳ 3. Postponed or Trimmed Bilateral Series

  • Several bilateral series have been shortened, postponed, or played with reduced squads because of IPL:

    • 2021: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe series ended early to let players join IPL.

    • 2019: South Africa vs Sri Lanka wrapped up weeks before IPL.

    • Even India’s own home series are wrapped up just before IPL kickoff.

📉 4. Commercial Impact on Smaller Boards

  • Boards like Zimbabwe, Ireland, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan struggle to schedule series during IPL because:

    • Broadcasters aren't interested.

    • Star players are unavailable.

    • Fan attention is elsewhere.

Some boards have shifted to June–August windows or schedule lesser-viewed Tests during IPL time.

🔁 5. Bilateral Series Rescheduling (Post-COVID)

  • The COVID-19 pandemic scrambled cricket schedules.

  • Boards rescheduled bilateral series around IPL in 2021 and 2022 because:

    • Players needed to quarantine before/after IPL.

    • IPL broadcast revenue was too big to ignore.

🌐 6. ICC Involvement: Making Space for T20 Leagues

  • As IPL grew, so did other leagues like BBL, PSL, and now ILT20.

  • ICC’s new FTP (2023–2027) gives a dedicated IPL window, officially acknowledging its dominance.

Even international captains like Rohit Sharma and Faf du Plessis have said IPL influences national scheduling more than any other T20 league.

🧠 TL;DR:

Yes, the IPL has directly and repeatedly influenced bilateral cricket schedules—causing series to be moved, trimmed, or even ignored. As the IPL grew into a global commercial behemoth, cricket boards had to adapt or lose players and revenue. It’s now so embedded in the cricket calendar that most boards plan around it, not against it.

Want a timeline of major series impacted by IPL? Or a chart of players who’ve missed national duty for the league?