Mumbai, Jul 11 (IANS): Amidst attempts by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to popularize the sport in India, the top officials of two of the biggest professional sports leagues met here on Thursday, giving rise to speculation of exchange of ideas and possible collaboration on some aspects.

The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah met the Deputy Commissioner of the National Basketball League (NBA), Mark Tatum here on Thursday, to share knowledge with the BCCI official claiming that exciting times are ahead for the NBA and BCCI.

"Had a fantastic meeting with Mark Tatum, the NBA Deputy Commissioner. It was great meeting you, Mark, and sharing knowledge. Exciting times ahead for the @NBA and @BCCI!" wrote Shah in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

He also shared a photograph of him and Tatum standing alongside a trophy with an NBA backdrop, probably shot at the NBA office in Mumbai.

Shah did not elaborate on what kind of knowledge they shared or what "exciting" times the two organisations are looking forward to in the future.

However, it is a fact that the BCCI's flagship Indian Premier League (IPL) is loosely modeled on the NBA, which is one of the most prestigious professional leagues in sports featuring a total of 29 teams from the USA and one from Canada. It is held in two Conferences and a few Divisions in each and the top eight from each group qualify for the Playoffs.

IPL in contrast has only 10 teams and if the BCCI wants to expand it, it may have to consider something like a two-division system.

Another thing that the IPL can pick from the NBA will be their highly successful centralised marketing and merchandising system.