Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Juhi Chawla suggests moving IPL to January

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Juhi Chawla has suggested shifting the Indian Premier League (IPL) window from March-May to January. The IPL begins in late March and runs until May, as the tournament began on March 28 and finished on May 31 in 2026. 

However, Chawla feels that the tournament is no longer reliant on a specific window in the world cricketing calendar and can now influence the calendar on its own. Calling IPL the ‘biggest cricket tournament’, she asked why it is still played in the hot weather of April-May and not in January, when the conditions are cooler.

“The IPL no longer needs to find its place in the cricket calendar. It has earned the right to influence it. So why keep playing the biggest cricket tournament on the planet in the harshest heat? And if the calendar is being reconsidered, why not January instead of April-May? Better conditions. Better cricket. A better experience for everyone overall! The IPL has evolved. Perhaps its calendar should too now!,” said Chawla in a post on her X account.

The IPL no longer needs to find its place in the cricket calendar. It has earned the right to influence it. So why keep playing the biggest cricket tournament on the planet in the harshest heat? And if the calendar is being reconsidered, why not January instead of April-May? Better conditions. Better cricket. A better experience for everyone overall! The IPL has evolved. Perhaps its calendar should too now! #JustAThought

— Juhi Chawla Mehta (@iam_juhi) November 9, 2026

Former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has supported Chawla’s idea, asserting that IPL doesn’t require the ICC to give it a window but acknowledged that international commitments should be considered.

"The IPL does not need the ICC to give it a window. The IPL is a domestic tournament owned and operated by the BCCI. The BCCI can decide when to stage it. Of course, international commitments and player releases must be managed, but that is entirely different from seeking permission to exist in a particular part of the calendar,” Modi wrote on his social media handle.

Other boards should recognise economic reality: Lalit Modi

Modi also suggested two possible windows for IPL, first a start in January or a structured October-April competition calendar.

"My proposal is to seriously examine moving the IPL from the increasingly punishing April-May heat, with two alternatives: a January start or a carefully structured October-April competition calendar. The objective should be a commercially sustainable expansion, better playing conditions, more valuable broadcasting inventory and a stronger long-term economic foundation for Indian cricket,” he added.

He further mentioned that the BCCI must use its asset, as the IPL can’t function on an outdated cricket calendar.

"The BCCI has the asset. It has the audience. It has the commercial strength. It needs the confidence to use them. The ICC and other cricket boards should recognise the economic reality and work constructively around it. The IPL cannot be expected to subsidise an outdated global calendar indefinitely. The writing has been on the wall. Unfortunately, some people only read it when it appears on a balance sheet. You cannot run tomorrow's cricket on yesterday's economics,” wrote Modi.