India will host 3 ODI series against Afghanistan in June before the World Cup. The series will also result in the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) hiring an interim spokesman. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah confirmed both developments on Friday. “The tender for the media rights will start as planned this year (June-July). It will depend on the tour of Afghanistan, but the process will start more closely with the series in Australia (in September).” Shah said during an interview with Selected Media Interaction Here.

“The board will speak to all concerned and make a preliminary decision (for the station). The Afghanistan series, not included in the Future Tours program, offers captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid three additional opportunities to try new combinations ahead of the World Cup. It starts on October 5th. The series is expected to begin on June 16, five days after the Indian Test World Cup final against Australia was scheduled to end. Read More: Achraf

As the broadcast deal 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. This will be the home and away format for the 2024 WPL. 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 including the WPL in the embarrassed Diwali window.

“We are considering the possibility of programming the WPL in a home and away format in the Diwali time slot; not two seasons in one year. Just a different window of opportunity,” Shah said. “Women’s cricket now has a committed audience base and that number will continue to grow. We hope to encourage attendance at the next WPL.
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