‘Cricket should go football way’: Ravi Shastri on having two IPL seasons in a year

Former India cricket team captain and ex-head coach Ravi Shastri wants cricket to go the football way and a bigger window should be created for franchise tournaments like the IPL.

A member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, Shastri, who was India's coach for two terms (from 2014 to 2021) called for a reduction of bilateral series and only tournaments like the World Cup should be held.

Shastri said that there is a possibility of having two IPL seasons in a year.

"Yes, absolutely, there's too much bilateral stuff going on in T20 cricket," Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.

"I've said that, even when I was the coach of India, I could see it happening in front of my eyes. It should go the football way, where, in T20 cricket, you just play the World Cup. Bilateral tournaments—no one remembers," he said.

"I don't remember a single game in the last six-seven years as coach of India, barring the World Cup. A team wins the World Cup, they will remember it. Unfortunately, we didn't, so I don't remember that either," Shastri added.

"Where I am coming from is: you play franchise cricket around the globe; each country is allowed to have their franchise cricket, which is their domestic cricket, and then, every two years, you come and play a World Cup," he explained.

"That's the future. It could be tomorrow—140 games, split 70-70. In two seasons," Shastri said on the suggestion of two IPL seasons in a year.

"You never know. That's the way it's going to go. That's the way it's developed as a beast of a property. And you cannot hide away from that," he said.