There will be no 12-team IPL in 2028. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has firmly shut down weeks of speculation about adding two new franchises, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia saying the idea has not even been discussed informally inside the board — and he had a similar answer on the reported hike in the team purse.
Saikia spoke to news agency PTI on Wednesday, 11 November, a day after media reports claimed the BCCI was exploring the possibility of expanding the league from 10 to 12 teams from the 2028 season. His response left no room for doubt: the board's entire focus is on the 2027 season, the 20th edition of the IPL, and nothing beyond that is on the table.
What Saikia said
Saikia was direct when asked about the expansion reports, making it clear that the proposal has never come up for discussion at any level within the board.
We have neither discussed formally nor informally the possibility of the IPL becoming a 12-team affair in 2028. It is not in our scope at this stage.
He went on to say that the board is not looking past the coming season, which it plans to make a landmark occasion for the league.
We are concerned about the IPL of 2027, which is going to be the 20th edition of the IPL. So it will be a big affair. We are concerned about that and we are not considering anything beyond that.
Saikia also dismissed the reports themselves in blunt terms, saying they had no basis in anything the board had said or done.
Whatever news is circulating in the media, I think these are all speculative reports born out of fertile imaginations. I have no comments to offer regarding them. There is no sanctity to those reports.
No purse hike either
The other big rumour doing the rounds was a rise in the franchise salary purse, from Rs 125 crore to Rs 150 crore, ahead of the next mega auction. Saikia said no such decision has been taken.
There is nothing of that sort regarding an increase in the salary purse. The mega auction will be sometime next year. This time it will not be a mega auction. Our auction is going to take place on December 16, which will be the last year of the cycle. Thereafter, we will take a call.
That confirms the shape of the immediate calendar: a one-day mini-auction in Goa on 16 December 2026 to complete squads for the 2027 season, with the mega auction — and any call on the purse — coming only after the 2027 tournament is done.
The January window question
Saikia was also asked about Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Juhi Chawla's recent suggestion on X that the IPL should move to a January window instead of its usual April-May slot. He declined to react to the idea, sticking to the board's stated focus.
We are focused on hosting the 2027 IPL, which is scheduled to begin in March 2027. That's all.
What happens next
The BCCI has now drawn a clear line under the expansion talk: 10 teams for 2027, no new franchises for 2028, no purse hike decided, and a mini-auction in Goa on 16 December 2026. The 20th edition of the IPL begins in March 2027, and only once that season is over will the board take a call on the mega auction and the purse for the next cycle.
FAQs
Will the IPL expand to 12 teams in 2028?
No. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has said the idea of a 12-team IPL in 2028 has not been discussed formally or informally, and it is not in the board's scope at this stage. The league stays at 10 teams.
What did Devajit Saikia say about the expansion reports?
He called them speculative reports born out of fertile imaginations, adding that there is no sanctity to them. His message was that the BCCI is focused only on the 2027 season, the 20th edition of the IPL.
Is the IPL team purse going up?
No decision has been taken. Saikia said there is nothing of that sort regarding an increase in the salary purse from Rs 125 crore to Rs 150 crore, and a call will only be taken after the 2027 season, ahead of the next mega auction.
When is the IPL 2027 auction?
The IPL 2027 auction is a one-day mini-auction in Goa on 16 December 2026. It is the last year of the current cycle, and the mega auction will take place sometime next year.
What about the January window proposal for the IPL?
KKR co-owner Juhi Chawla suggested on X that the IPL should move to a January window. Saikia declined to react, saying only that the BCCI is focused on hosting the 2027 IPL, which is scheduled to begin in March 2027.
Conclusion
For all the talk of two new teams and a bigger purse, the BCCI's answer is simple: not now, not discussed, and not on the agenda. The 2027 season — the IPL's 20th edition — is the only thing on the board's mind, with the Goa mini-auction on 16 December the next date in the diary. Anything bigger, from new franchises to a fatter purse, waits until after that tournament is done.
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