Quit International Cricket: IPL Franchises Offer 6 English Players With Multi-Million Pound Deal

[MenInG]

Owners of top IPL franchises are trying to convince as many as six premier England players to quit international cricket and take up handsome annual contracts ranging up to 5 million pounds in order to play T20 leagues round the year, the 'Times London' reported. Almost all the 10 IPL franchises have branched out in various leagues, including CPL (West Indies), SA T20 (South Africa), Global T20 League (UAE) and the upcoming Major League T20 in the US. The report, however, doesn't state which are the franchise that have approached and who are the players involved in the discussion.

There will also be an ambitious Saudi T20 league where some of the IPL franchises might be investing.

'The Times' report quotes: "Initial discussions have taken place after at least six English players, including some international stars, were approached by IPL franchise owners and asked whether, in principle, they would accept a deal that would make an Indian team their main employer, rather than the ECB or an English county." "This development follows discussions among players' unions around the world about the potential implications of 12-month franchise contracts, which would be a significant step towards the football model of elite players being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty, rather than the other way around.

"One source told The Times that contract offers could come as soon as the end of the year." There is no doubt that T20 cricket is here to stay and T10 is also fast catching the imagination of the public.

While ICC has always thought about putting a cap on the number of leagues that an active contracted player can take part in a year, one can't rule out a possibility of a lot of young players either retiring from international cricket or giving up on central contracts to become free agents. The only hurdle in such a scenario could be 'NOC' from the respective country's cricket board.

"The probability of such a model being adopted has grown increasingly likely in recent years as some IPL franchise owners have bought stakes in several T20 tournaments in the UAE, South Africa, Caribbean — and now the United States with the new Major League Cricket venture which begins in July," the newspaper was quoted as saying.

The paper also claimed that a discussion on similar lines took place with star Australian T20 specialists also.

"Discussions have already taken place with a number of high-profile Australian players about full-time deals but this has now been extended to English players. Contracts could be worth upwards of GBP 2 million a year and even as high as GBP 5 million — more than five times the value of the highest England central contracts." The paper also spoke about the possibility of having partial contracts both with ECB or county and the IPL franchise, especially, the ones who play white-ball cricket.

"Reduced IPL deals — covering at least three of the rounds — would also be on offer. It is unlikely that any of England's Test stars will walk away from their central contracts in favour of a franchise contract but the sheer amount of money on offer makes that a risk in the future.

"What is more likely is that players will arrange "bespoke" deals depending on their own circumstances, which could result in them being part-contracted to their county or the ECB and part-contracted to a franchise."

NDTV

 

[Major]

Damn, thats a good deal provided there is also insurance.

This will force franchise leagues and ICC to change their set up.

I am prefer franchise cricket now more, and would like a 3 month season where players play for one team and not in multiple franchises.

 

[PakPremi]

To me a player who is not playing international cricketany more loses attraction and falls into a category of gas been no mattee how high hus exploits would be in the franchise cricket.

 

[U$ofA]

One could see this coming a country mile away.

Once the IPL owners started investing in other T20 leagues, this was just a matter of when not if. I am sure more details will emerge as things move along.

The IPL franchises may not be able to pull this off in the first try. But they have taken the first step. It may take 2-3 tries to get it done.

Major turmoil waiting to happen.

 

[Rana]

There are legal ways to stamp this out from county level but let’s see how the ECB deal with it.

If I were an ECB boss, I wouldn’t think about offering county contracts to 18 year olds who are planning to refuse central contracts 5-6 years down the line and become mercenaries having made their name through domestic and international cricket.

They should offer them contacts which legally bind them to give 70% of the players earnings outside of the ECB until the age of 40 regardless of NOCs

 

[U$ofA]

There are legal ways to stamp this out from county level but let’s see how the ECB deal with it.

If I were an ECB boss, I wouldn’t think about offering county contracts to 18 year olds who are planning to refuse central contracts 5-6 years down the line and become mercenaries having made their name through domestic and international cricket.

They should offer them contacts which legally bind them to give 70% of the players earnings outside of the ECB until the age of 40 regardless of NOCs

Cannot take 70% of someone's earnings without push back from players. And there will be major push back.

This is going to be a non starter anyway. They are sowing the seeds now hoping to make it a reality 5 years down the line. That is what the ECB and CA have to be careful about.

They probably already have SA and WI players in their pockets. They are making a play for Aus and Eng.

 

[Rana]

Cannot take 70% of someone's earnings without push back from players. And there will be major push back.

This is going to be a non starter anyway. They are sowing the seeds now hoping to make it a reality 5 years down the line. That is what the ECB and CA have to be careful about.

They probably already have SA and WI players in their pockets. They are making a play for Aus and Eng.

Well then,

Don’t sign the contract. Best of luck trying to become a T20 brand player without a domestic central contract at the age of 18

 

[Champ_Pal]

No one can reject such deals. League cricket is the future with T20 world cups every 2 years to add into the mix.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Im still not convinced about the long term success of IPL teams playing worldwide but I guess it really depends on the Indian market and how they take to it.

Growing up in a country dominated by football its not something I can personally get behind because the idea of supporting multiple teams with the same players is just unheard of. You have a team ( perhaps two) and stick to them.

I supoose cricket would just become like tennis and golf where people may support individual players no matter where they play.

 

[Kianig89]

Another knock 0ut punch to International cricket which already is on one leg,

 

[gazza619]

5 million pounds????!!!! My days!!!!

 

[gazza619]

Another knock 0ut punch to International cricket which already is on one leg,

Dont think so. England has enough talent to make 3 international teams.

 

[Bewal Express]

I have said before and I will repeat, cricket is Sport where 99% of matches have no meaning and more importantly, no one cares about the result. Franchise cricket has no cricketing value and results are forgotten within a day or 2. Good luck to the players in picking up the big bucks but an uncontrollable monster has been created and no one knows what to do

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I am guessing the players would be:

Jos Buttler
Ben Stokes
Jofra Archer
Sam Curran
Liam Livingstone
Harry Brook

Bairstow too if he was in India.

 

[kingusama92]

The issue is that international cricket builds these players into marketable assets. A guy proven at the highest level will be worth way more to the IPL than someone who is just with them year-round.

Yes, buying players out would work in the short term because they're proven stars internationally. However, over time, it would kill international cricket and the IPL would become solely responsible for marketing new international players.

This is a cost they don't face right now because international players come into the league as stars. It seems like a headache to deal with.

I think the IPL is better off using international cricket as a feeder system like it is right now.

 

[ElRaja]

need a proper window, 3m for IPL, 3m for other leagues, and 6m for international cricket for the next few years, then reevaluate in 5 years or so

as it is international t20s and odis are meaningless, and apart from the big 3 no one plays enough tests to be good at them.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

And BCCI does not even allow Indian players to play in any other league.

Is it Cricket or is it a game of Monopoly ?

 

[rhony]

This was always the plan once the "Champions trophy" football style failed miserably. Indian crowds make the market and they don't care about teams from other countries. Instead an RCB fan can get behind another team owned by RCB in another league because his loyalty is to the RCB brand. The trump cards are always the Indian players and they won't play in other leagues to make sure IPL remains numero uno. Forget 5 mil. I'm pretty sure the fringe players will be ready for 500k to strut their stuff in 4 to 5 leagues in a year. The coaching and training setup is great and a handful of years will make one a multiillionaire.

 

[sam_ahm]

This was always the plan once the "Champions trophy" football style failed miserably. Indian crowds make the market and they don't care about teams from other countries. Instead an RCB fan can get behind another team owned by RCB in another league because his loyalty is to the RCB brand. The trump cards are always the Indian players and they won't play in other leagues to make sure IPL remains numero uno. Forget 5 mil. I'm pretty sure the fringe players will be ready for 500k to strut their stuff in 4 to 5 leagues in a year. The coaching and training setup is great and a handful of years will make one a multiillionaire.

Put Virat Kohli in Punjab Kings and then see how many fans are 'loyal' to RCB brand

Btw on topic, this won't work and franchise leagues will die out if IPL owners try something as stupid as this.

 

[Major]

Im still not convinced about the long term success of IPL teams playing worldwide but I guess it really depends on the Indian market and how they take to it.

Growing up in a country dominated by football its not something I can personally get behind because the idea of supporting multiple teams with the same players is just unheard of. You have a team ( perhaps two) and stick to them.

I supoose cricket would just become like tennis and golf where people may support individual players no matter where they play.

League cricket should be given dedicated months or a season. 5-7 months of dedicated league cricket, during this time no interntional cricket. Multiple legues operate on a 5 - 7 season basis, and players only play in one league.

After that 1 month rest and than 4 months of international cricket where you can have domestic going on, but no league cricket can be allowed in that window.

IPL will benefit as they will set the market rate, this will force other leagues to compete and give a better pay out to retain top talent in their leagues

 

[Mp812]

A significant step towards the football model of elite players being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty, rather than the other way around.
But who can blame the players. Financial security is what matters most to 99.99% of world human population and these players are normal humans afterall.

 

[Savak]

Will be surprised if the likes of CA, ECB will allow this

 

[Savak]

League Cricket alone is not sustainable without international cricket. Both need each other to sustain each other.

 

[rhony]

Put Virat Kohli in Punjab Kings and then see how many fans are 'loyal' to RCB brand

Btw on topic, this won't work and franchise leagues will die out if IPL owners try something as stupid as this.

That's why Virat Kohli has always been in RCB and Dhoni in CSK. IPL made sure that players are associated with a certain brand. RCB will still have loyal fans once Kohli retires though. As time goes on, players will be numbers and teams will grow their brand as in football.

 

[MenInG]

England players signing full-time contracts with teams owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises is "coming", says former England and IPL player Ravi Bopara.

A report in The Times this week said six English players had been approached about year-long deals, worth up to £5m.

IPL franchises own teams in India, the West Indies, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and a USA-based league.

"It doesn't surprise me," Bopara told the BBC Test Match Special podcast.

"It is a real thing to start thinking about for the players.

"If they are offering long-term contracts, I'm talking three, four or five years, then it is a serious subject to start thinking about as a player."

The IPL usually takes place between March and May, with the inaugural SA20 league and International League T20 in the UAE overlapping in January this year.

The CPL in the West Indies is due to take place from 16 August-24 September this year, with the first edition of the Major Cricket League scheduled for 13-30 July.

Seven of the 10 IPL franchises currently own teams in different leagues, with Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians represented in four leagues, meaning players can fill their year with franchise commitments.

England central contracts are currently awarded to both red-ball and white-ball players based on the likelihood of how often they will feature in the next 12 months, while recognising performances in the past year.

There are then increment contracts for one-format players or players close to breaking into the side.

"This was coming," said Bopara, who played 24 games in the IPL between 2009 and 2015.

"It's been a chat on the county circuit and around cricket that this was always going to happen.

"If you're one of those players that is heading towards the end of your England career, if you've had a good one, and you're thinking 'hmmm, maybe I've only got two or three years left in the England side' you might be thinking 'actually this is a better option for me'.

"If you're just starting out your England career then it is a serious dilemma. There is no guarantee you'll play for five or 10 years for England.

"At least with this contract there are guarantees. That is going to be the difficult thing."

Bopara, who played in 13 Tests and 158 white-ball games for England, explained how he once turned down an injury-replacement contract with Mumbai Indians because he was told by national selector Graham Gooch and head coach Andy Flower that he would not be considered for Test selection that summer if he went to the IPL instead of playing county cricket.

The all-rounder was then not selected by England anyway.

"It's stuck with me from that day onwards that really it is just a business," said Bopara.

"You can't rely on other people to select you; you're better off taking the contracts that are guaranteed.

"If you asked me now at 37-years-old, I would pick the IPL contract 100% without even thinking. I'd say 'where's the paper?' I'd sign it right now."

Bopara said "we've got to be prepared" for players signing the contracts, adding he "can see" franchise cricket being the priority and then international windows being created, similarly to football.

"You're going to start getting egos," said Bopara. "They'll say 'well, hang on, you've committed to franchise cricket so we won't select you for England'.

"I don't see why it has to be like that. You want to select the best England team to win the game.

"It doesn't matter whether that person has committed to an IPL contract and said they don't want an ECB contract.

"That is how it should be. That is the basics of selection, it is not about picking people who are loyal. How does that help you win a game of cricket? It doesn't.

"Eventually cricket is going to follow the money, it always happens. It is just a matter of who is going to pay more in the end. That is where the people and sport will go.

"We've got to be prepared for that."

BBC

 

[Rana]

Will be surprised if the likes of CA, ECB will allow this

Lol

How can you stop anyone once their central contract (usually a 1 year agreement) expires?

I told you all the solution.

Read above

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

This will definitely check the loyalty of these players towards their national team. IPL is trying to kill International cricket but they are forgetting that without international cricket they won't get any superstars.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

No one can reject such deals. League cricket is the future with T20 world cups every 2 years to add into the mix.

Can you please elaborate how will this work without proper international cricket, bilaterals, short tournaments and domestic cricket?

No matter how hard some fans try, cricket will never going to replicate football.

 

[the Great Khan]

This will definitely check the loyalty of these players towards their national team. IPL is trying to kill International cricket but they are forgetting that without international cricket they won't get any superstars.

Yup. The only franchise cricket I watch is the PSL because of the emotional attachment. I have no interest in an Indian dominated franchise scene. It offers me nothing. I would rather watch Leicestershire in the t20 blast than MI Indians of the Cape in Guyana or something like that.

Coming onto the above proposal. It will destroy international cricket. Effect Pakistan cricket and probably make international cricket uncompetitive inmho. Ultimately it will probably have an effect jn the quality of cricket we watch. The Indian Asian model is frankly boring. Hit and giggle smash sixes..no bowling innovation just boring rubbish. Where someone like SKY is seen as a genius when in days gone by he would be a simple tullay baaz..

 

[MenInG]

Yup. The only franchise cricket I watch is the PSL because of the emotional attachment. I have no interest in an Indian dominated franchise scene. It offers me nothing. I would rather watch Leicestershire in the t20 blast than MI Indians of the Cape in Guyana or something like that.

Coming onto the above proposal. It will destroy international cricket. Effect Pakistan cricket and probably make international cricket uncompetitive inmho. Ultimately it will probably have an effect jn the quality of cricket we watch. The Indian Asian model is frankly boring. Hit and giggle smash sixes..no bowling innovation just boring rubbish. Where someone like SKY is seen as a genius when in days gone by he would be a simple tullay baaz..

Exclusive contracts were talked about a few years ago - this seems to be what's brewing here

 

[the Great Khan]

Exclusive contracts were talked about a few years ago - this seems to be what's brewing here

Just feel its a bad thing for cricket in the longer term. Also the domination of other leagues by the IPL is bad for Pakistan cricket.

 

[MenInG]

Just feel its a bad thing for cricket in the longer term. Also the domination of other leagues by the IPL is bad for Pakistan cricket.

Basically other leagues will become B Class as all top players will ONLY play in IPL

If that is what ICC wants then so be it

Hum kon hain?!

 

[MenInG]

NEW DELHI, May 1 (Reuters) - The prospect of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises becoming primary employers of foreign cricketers over their national boards is moving closer with multi-tournament contracts already being offered to some players.

Eight of the IPL's 10 franchises own at least one team in another league abroad and the owners of Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals have both acquired teams in new T20 tournaments in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

"Some players have been offered multi-club deals," Neil Maxwell, Australia's most prominent player agent, told Reuters.

"The cricket landscape is changing rapidly and already contracting an Australian player has taken a different format."

The growing number of T20 leagues offering lucrative contracts to the game's best talent means national teams are sometimes having to play second fiddle. West Indies have struggled for years to field their best players due to scheduling clashes.

And the situation is only likely to worsen for national boards as they struggle to match the multi-league contracts offered to their star players by private franchise owners.

A clear indication of the IPL's expanding footprint came last year when its franchises snapped up all six teams in the lucrative T20 league in South Africa.

The Indian conglomerates now want their best overseas recruits to represent them in multiple leagues and, according to the Cricinfo website, informal conversations have begun with players from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies.

None of the IPL franchises contacted by Reuters would confirm offers have been made but some cricket boards are already taking defensive measures to protect their talent.

Cricket Australia last month announced a 7.5% pay increase for its centrally contracted players, while also raising the salary cap in its Big Bash League.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is planning to increase match fees and offer multi-year contracts to key players to retain its top talent.

Maxwell, who manages Australia captain Pat Cummins and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, said boards were offering longer-term contracts for the first time as a "result of competition".

"This will evolve again as players get more and more choice as to when and where they play."

Cummins is not surprised at how fast the landscape is changing and told Fox Sports: " ... there's going to be other opportunities that are going to be really hard for players to say no to, different franchises around the world".

"I think realistically we've got to manage players a bit differently to what we have in the past."

TIPPING POINT

Maxwell drew a parallel with soccer and likened the financial might of the IPL to the English Premier League (EPL), whose clubs employ the cream of international talent.

"Cricket has traditionally survived off country v country competition - this is not sustainable in the long term," he said.

"The landscape is changing, similar to the EPL system where playing for the club is the priority."

Cricket writer Nicholas Brookes, whose 'An Island's Eleven: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket' was Wisden's Book of the Year in 2023, agreed with the football analogy.

"Clearly, the game is reaching a tipping point with franchise T20 fast becoming the dominating format, and all other forms of cricket left fighting for scraps," he told Reuters.

"I think we're probably heading towards a similar situation to football, where the franchise sides become like Premier League clubs, and where international cricket is marginalised to preordained windows."

While the likes of World Cups and the Ashes series would retain their eminence, players prioritising the franchise T20 game over regular bilateral cricket was not "totally implausible", Brookes added.

The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) has long identified the potential conflict between T20 leagues and international cricket.

FICA's Chief Executive Tom Moffat told Reuters it has been advocating for a fixed global schedule so the two can co-exist, an initiative he believes has become more urgent as private ownership across leagues has accelerated in the last 18 months.

"This would likely be best achieved through formal scheduling windows, which we know players are supportive of," Moffat said.

One major board not losing any sleep over the changing landscape is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), whose coffers are filled with the proceeds from the IPL and which bans its own players from competing in overseas leagues.

But even that long-standing policy might come under pressure given the ambition of the IPL franchise owners to expand their global footprint, said Brookes.

"It will be interesting to see how things play out between the BCCI and the Indian franchise owners in the years to come – as it seems like there could be a conflict brewing there," he said.

 

[sam_ahm]

We will see in the next 5 years. I'm convinced that this won't work. The World Cup this year is going to be very important in many ways.

 

[U$ofA]

The Boards had the monopoly over the players, what they get paid and for how long the contract was. Well, they still do to an extent. But now there is competition. The boards realize this and has lit a fire under them.

The question is, will/can the boards match the contracts or structure them in a way that is lucrative enough to go head to head with IPL offerings?

 

[U$ofA]

Exclusive contracts were talked about a few years ago - this seems to be what's brewing here

Yes, I am sure this has been discussed behind the scenes for a few years. Not surprising. But I am surprised that it only took a fairly short span of 15 years to turn the game upside down.

The upside to this is boards will have to offer better compensation. This will benefit a lot of players.

A rising tide lifts all boats!

 

[MenInG]

Yes, I am sure this has been discussed behind the scenes for a few years. Not surprising. But I am surprised that it only took a fairly short span of 15 years to turn the game upside down.

The upside to this is boards will have to offer better compensation. This will benefit a lot of players.

A rising tide lifts all boats!

Only the elite boats rise

Rickety ones will sink. Also who controls the tides here?

 

[cricketjoshila]

Only the elite boats rise

Rickety ones will sink. Also who controls the tides here?

This current idea wont work.

But signing players on contracts across leagues will work.

Eg.
MI will sign Tim David. David can only play in a mi owned franchisee and his home boards league only. He cannot play else where. He gets 1mn currently for Mi. For the new arrangement he may get 2mn and a 5 year deal.

He is assured of 10mn by the time he is 32.

This type of deal may work.

 

[light]

This is going to happen sooner or later. Very similar to the soccer approach where Leagues > play for the country (unless WC - most players do care about WC).

 

[cricketjoshila]

This is going to happen sooner or later. Very similar to the soccer approach where Leagues > play for the country (unless WC - most players do care about WC).

WC is once a year.

There is a ICC event every year.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

This is going to happen sooner or later. Very similar to the soccer approach where Leagues > play for the country (unless WC - most players do care about WC).

And this idea will fall flat on its face. Cricket can never compete with football and adopt its league model successfully. Football leagues run throughout the year. Cricket leagues on the other hand are making a mockery of these football leagues and run like a 3 month circus every year. Tamasha league cricket without proper international cricket and international cricketers will die soon. Best of luck watching these Rinku Pinku hammering no name bowlers in IPL.

The reason most of the youngsters are watching these leagues these days is due to those fantasy apps which allows them to make their team and earn some money. They don't even realise that they are getting addicted to these fantasy apps and losing their time and money instead lol.

 

[Rajdeep]

And this idea will fall flat on its face. Cricket can never compete with football and adopt its league model successfully. Football leagues run throughout the year. Cricket leagues on the other hand are making a mockery of these football leagues and run like a 3 month circus every year. Tamasha league cricket without proper international cricket and international cricketers will die soon. Best of luck watching these Rinku Pinku hammering no name bowlers in IPL.

The reason most of the youngsters are watching these leagues these days is due to those fantasy apps which allows them to make their team and earn some money. They don't even realise that they are getting addicted to these fantasy apps and losing their time and money instead lol.

You are literally saying this for years that franchise cricket will fall flat on face and how it can NEVER compete with football but with every passing year IPL is growing bigger. It seems like more of your pep dream to see IPL fails but it never gonna happen

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

You are literally saying this for years that franchise cricket will fall flat on face and how it can NEVER compete with football but with every passing year IPL is growing bigger. It seems like more of your pep dream to see IPL fails but it never gonna happen

Learn to comprehend properly. I said cricket leagues can never compete with football's league model which runs throughout the year. As soon as cricket leagues adapt that model they will fall flat because there are not enough countries and players to make that model successful. You are living in UK currently and still I have to make you understand that.

 

[sam_ahm]

And this idea will fall flat on its face. Cricket can never compete with football and adopt its league model successfully. Football leagues run throughout the year. Cricket leagues on the other hand are making a mockery of these football leagues and run like a 3 month circus every year. Tamasha league cricket without proper international cricket and international cricketers will die soon. Best of luck watching these Rinku Pinku hammering no name bowlers in IPL.

The reason most of the youngsters are watching these leagues these days is due to those fantasy apps which allows them to make their team and earn some money. They don't even realise that they are getting addicted to these fantasy apps and losing their time and money instead lol.

That's right. fantasy gaming apps have played a big part in viewership of these crap leagues. People are losing huge amounts of money. I personally know a lot of them.

And as for the leagues themselves, there is no way they will match the football leagues, franchise leagues will never survive without international cricket. I can bet my house on this.

I'm in lucknow for some work, caught up with a friend and yesterday we went to the stadium, there is such huge fan following for Virat, no one gave a **** about LSG. RCB has this fan base because of Virat and Virat has this fan base because of what he has achieved for India. Good luck creating super stars while they only play for some Cobra Vipers or some Thunder Lightening.

 

[Rajdeep]

Learn to comprehend properly. I said cricket leagues can never compete with football's league model which runs throughout the year. As soon as cricket leagues adapt that model they will fall flat because there are not enough countries and players to make that model successful. You are living in UK currently and still I have to make you understand that.

We all know your view on IPL over the years and eagerness to see it fail. One dosen't need to comprehend anything for something as blatant as that. Anyway, cricket leagues couldn't compete with football in the past bcoz football is primarily a league sport and internationals gets played only during big ticket FIFA events. There are no meaningless bilaterals in football. This exclusive contract that cricket leagues are now trying to bring will emulate same thing i.e players will play for their franchise most amount of time in the year and will only be available for their country for big events like WC/Ashes etc.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

That's right. fantasy gaming apps have played a big part in viewership of these crap leagues. People are losing huge amounts of money. I personally know a lot of them.

And as for the leagues themselves, there is no way they will match the football leagues, franchise leagues will never survive without international cricket. I can bet my house on this.

I'm in lucknow for some work, caught up with a friend and yesterday we went to the stadium, there is such huge fan following for Virat, no one gave a **** about LSG. RCB has this fan base because of Virat and Virat has this fan base because of what he has achieved for India. Good luck creating super stars while they only play for some Cobra Vipers or some Thunder Lightening.

Some of our own cricketers are promoting these fantasy apps. I know they are doing it for money but they are not realising its impact. Most of these youngsters are getting addicted to it. They are promoting it as some kind of a cricket skill that everyone has in India by birth.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

We all know your view on IPL over the years and eagerness to see it fail. One dosen't need to comprehend anything for something as blatant as that. Anyway, cricket leagues couldn't compete with football in the past bcoz football is primarily a league sport and internationals gets played only during big ticket FIFA events. There are no meaningless bilaterals in football. This exclusive contract that cricket leagues are now trying to bring will emulate same thing i.e players will play for their franchise most amount of time in the year and will only be available for their country for big events like WC/Ashes etc.

So how are you planning to create international superstars then if they are only going to appear in WC/Ashes? I thought it was pretty clear after looking at the performances of some Indian players in WCs over the past couple of years that the quality of cricket they in IPL is pretty low. Maybe this is why you want more IPL because India struggles in high quality and competitive international cricket tournaments these days? And It seems you have learned nothing about football even after living in UK.

 

[Rajdeep]

So how are you planning to create international superstars then if they are only going to appear in WC/Ashes? I thought it was pretty clear after looking at the performances of some Indian players in WCs over the past couple of years that the quality of cricket they in IPL is pretty low. Maybe this is why you more IPL because India struggles in high quality and competitive international cricket tournaments these days? And It seems you have learned nothing about football even after living in UK.

Why are you bringing me living in UK everytime? What has that got to do anything with this discussion? Not much arguements to add?

Lets talk facts mate. You keep on giving football reference but ever heard of Erling Haaland or Mo Salah? Their international sides are non entity and couldn't even qualify for world cups. How did they become superstars in club football? According to your logic a "superstar" cant be created without international sport. Who made Ronaldo famous and the player he is today? Portugal or Real Madrid?

We all watch sport due to quality and this is the beauty of club sport that they can assemble the best talent across the world where as internationals force you to play for the country you were born (which one had no control).

As far as loyality is concerned, it comes with time. Cricket was always international sport and our mind always looked at it from nationalistic prism. But the changes already happening in IPL. Many Indians, especially in Southern states, feels more connected to their states than the country. They support their nation but now since they have a team exclusive for their state, it is even better. India has 28 states and every state has different customs, rituals, languages, food everything. IPL is expoliting that state rivalry to the fullest, building the fanbase and the result is for all to see.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Why are you bringing me living in UK everytime? What has that got to do anything with this discussion? Not much arguements to add?

Lets talk facts mate. You keep on giving football reference but ever heard of Erling Haaland or Mo Salah? Their international sides are non entity and couldn't even qualify for world cups. How did they become superstars in club football? According to your logic a "superstar" cant be created without international sport. Who made Ronaldo famous and the player he is today? Portugal or Real Madrid?

We all watch sport due to quality and this is the beauty of club sport that they can assemble the best talent across the world where as internationals force you to play for the country you were born (which one had no control).

As far as loyality is concerned, it comes with time. Cricket was always international sport and our mind always looked at it from nationalistic prism. But the changes already happening in IPL. Many Indians, especially in Southern states, feels more connected to their states than the country. They support their nation but now since they have a team exclusive for their state, it is even better. India has 28 states and every state has different customs, rituals, languages, food everything. IPL is expoliting that state rivalry to the fullest, building the fanbase and the result is for all to see.

The answer lies in your post itself lol. You think you can make a cricketer like Kohli without international cricket? Even you know what I am trying to say here but you are just arguing for the sake of it now. There are not enough teams, players and countries to make this idea work. You won't see a guy from England wearing Chennai Super Kings jersey but you can see many guys from Jalandhar wearing Manchester United or Liverpool jerseys.

 

[ads101]

It's how international cricket is inevitably going to go. Simply countries have to become self sufficient, and produce incomes to support players. At the moment international cricket bails out the majority of domestic cricketers. And India contributes the most in terms of bailing out sides in international cricket. It's not a sustainable model.

I think the best way going forward will be season long franchise cricket, with breaks in between for international series, with a world cup every two years. And probably only one format, i.e. T20s. I think it's the only realistic way for domestic cricketers to maximise their income, as well as still taking internationals seriously. We've got to make it so international and stuff like IPL isn't going head to head, as in the long run IPL will win due to its vast superiority in profitability.

 

[light]

And this idea will fall flat on its face. Cricket can never compete with football and adopt its league model successfully. Football leagues run throughout the year. Cricket leagues on the other hand are making a mockery of these football leagues and run like a 3 month circus every year. Tamasha league cricket without proper international cricket and international cricketers will die soon. Best of luck watching these Rinku Pinku hammering no name bowlers in IPL.

The reason most of the youngsters are watching these leagues these days is due to those fantasy apps which allows them to make their team and earn some money. They don't even realise that they are getting addicted to these fantasy apps and losing their time and money instead lol.

To be fair, cricket leagues are still in their early stages. There is no comparison between cricket leagues and soccer leagues. But it boils down to the players and fans, and what they want The majority will decide because MONEY cares about the majority, not the minority. I personally like the National team more than the franchise and care very little about franchise cricket (even IPL). But if the Majority decides that they care more about cricket being played by the franchises instead of the national team, that's where it will head towards.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

The answer lies in your post itself lol. You think you can make a cricketer like Kohli without international cricket? Even you know what I am trying to say here but you are just arguing for the sake of it now. There are not enough teams, players and countries to make this idea work. You won't see a guy from England wearing Chennai Super Kings jersey but you can see many guys from Jalandhar wearing Manchester United or Liverpool jerseys.

Thats just cause Franchise Football has aged a lot.

If 50 years down the line, no one still cares about playing for Chennai or Delhi then yeah, IPL approach failed.

Every youngster dreams of playing for Barcelona or Manchester United not because they love Spain or England but because the club brand is famous and money offered is huge.

Maybe 50 years down the line, a cricketer will dream to play for Chennai and Brisbane the same way because of the club brand.

It just will take a lot of time.

 

[IMMY69]

Thats just cause Franchise Football has aged a lot.

If 50 years down the line, no one still cares about playing for Chennai or Delhi then yeah, IPL approach failed.

Every youngster dreams of playing for Barcelona or Manchester United not because they love Spain or England but because the club brand is famous and money offered is huge.

Maybe 50 years down the line, a cricketer will dream to play for Chennai and Brisbane the same way because of the club brand.

It just will take a lot of time.

But the point is that there are many countries worldwide, across different continents, that play football. You have the premier league followed by a number of lower leagues which are largely professional leagues where players are paid to play. Again, this is across many countries.

From this you have a large pool of players.

So many people outside of India don't even watch Franchise Cricket so it's already a big turn off for a lot of fans and with more franchise cricket, less international cricket, a reducing pool of international class players, I can see the game dying sooner then many expected predicted it too.

 

[MenInG]

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum believes international boards would be "completely naive" to assume players would turn down lucrative offers from T20 leagues to play for their country. McCullum, who is currently the head coach of England's Test team, believes the cricketing landscape is rapidly changing and that the time is not far away when several players will opt for lucrative T20 leagues, instead of central contracts. His comments came amid reports suggesting that IPL teams are in talks with a number of English cricketers, including Jofra Archer, to sign annual deals.

"In the end, the game is going in a different direction. The last few years, there's been a shifting of the sand somewhat around international cricket. We'd be completely naive to think that players would turn down huge amounts of money on longterm contracts for a lot less work in these T20 leagues because they should be playing international cricket," McCullum told SEN Radio.

McCullum believes that the boards, including the ECB, must find a solution to the difficult issue because they cannot simply allow their top players to neglect international cricket.

"Those days are fast approaching to be over. It's definitely a shifting landscape and you've just got to be fluid. What you've got to do is you've got to work with these players, you got to work with these leagues and try and allow, ideally, players to have their cake and eat it too because you want your best players playing," he added.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

Wasim Khan, the International Cricket Council general manager, accepts the landscape of the sport has changed as he urged countries and franchise leagues to find a way to “coexist”.

Jason Roy last week became the first England player to cancel his national contract, an incremental deal worth between £60,000 and £70,000 per year, to pursue an opportunity in Major League Cricket in the United States, where he has reportedly been offered around £300,000 for two seasons.

There has been speculation about the Indian Premier League offering annual contracts while the relevance of bilateral cricket keeps cropping up as internationals are crammed into an already busy programme.

Khan admitted there is no putting the genie back in the bottle as the proliferation of domestic T20 competitions continues but he feels international cricket can live alongside these leagues.

“Obviously the way the schedule is structured now and the emergence of these leagues, there has to be a way for us to coexist,” said Khan, the former chief executive of Leicestershire and Pakistan.

“Nothing is going to be removed so we are going to have to coexist moving forward.”

The growing unease about the possibility of elite talent putting club before country in future hangs over cricket ahead of the final of the World Test Championship happening next week at the Kia Oval.

Khan, who expects “full crowds” for at least the first four days of the contest between India and Australia, thinks the format still holds some relevance and revealed the 12 full member nations have elected to keep hold of the World Test Championship for the next eight-year cycle.

“The members have signed up for the next eight years,” said Khan. “We’ve heard some of the top stars from around the world continually talking about the importance of Test cricket.

“We know that the emergence of these leagues does put pressure on the schedule but we’re confident that at least for the next eight years that continual context will be provided for red-ball cricket.

“It’s important we continue to find an opportunity to coexist, to ensure our schedules moving forward provides something for everybody.”

Ricky Ponting suggested earlier this month the ICC has a role to play in making sure players from smaller nations are well-remunerated in Test cricket so they do not go down the franchise route.

Khan confirmed the former Australia captain’s assertion the issue had been brought up in a Cricket Committee meeting but was taken no further.

“It was perhaps a misquote,” said Khan. “It was raised initially within the ICC Cricket Committee as a discussion point but there was certainly nothing taken forward around payments to players.”

Khan, though, believes it is up to the boards of individual countries how much they pay players, pointing out all full member nations will receive a substantial increase on previous earnings during the new rights cycle from 2024-27.

“The distributions the members will be receiving in the next cycle will be greater than what they received previously,” added Khan. “The payments they pay players is purely down to the members.

“If there are player associations there, they will certainly be negotiating with those, but where there’s not, it’s down to the boards – and particularly with the key players within those boards – to decide what the payment structure looks like moving forward.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/cri...p&cvid=16ecc797077e45069d980c74c4585468&ei=13

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Thats just cause Franchise Football has aged a lot.

If 50 years down the line, no one still cares about playing for Chennai or Delhi then yeah, IPL approach failed.

Every youngster dreams of playing for Barcelona or Manchester United not because they love Spain or England but because the club brand is famous and money offered is huge.

Maybe 50 years down the line, a cricketer will dream to play for Chennai and Brisbane the same way because of the club brand.

It just will take a lot of time.

There is no such thing as franchise football.

 

[MenInG]

Wasim Khan, the International Cricket Council general manager, accepts the landscape of the sport has changed as he urged countries and franchise leagues to find a way to “coexist”.

Jason Roy last week became the first England player to cancel his national contract, an incremental deal worth between £60,000 and £70,000 per year, to pursue an opportunity in Major League Cricket in the United States, where he has reportedly been offered around £300,000 for two seasons.

There has been speculation about the Indian Premier League offering annual contracts while the relevance of bilateral cricket keeps cropping up as internationals are crammed into an already busy programme.

Khan admitted there is no putting the genie back in the bottle as the proliferation of domestic T20 competitions continues but he feels international cricket can live alongside these leagues.

“Obviously the way the schedule is structured now and the emergence of these leagues, there has to be a way for us to coexist,” said Khan, the former chief executive of Leicestershire and Pakistan.

“Nothing is going to be removed so we are going to have to coexist moving forward.”

The growing unease about the possibility of elite talent putting club before country in future hangs over cricket ahead of the final of the World Test Championship happening next week at the Kia Oval.

Khan, who expects “full crowds” for at least the first four days of the contest between India and Australia, thinks the format still holds some relevance and revealed the 12 full member nations have elected to keep hold of the World Test Championship for the next eight-year cycle.

“The members have signed up for the next eight years,” said Khan. “We’ve heard some of the top stars from around the world continually talking about the importance of Test cricket.

“We know that the emergence of these leagues does put pressure on the schedule but we’re confident that at least for the next eight years that continual context will be provided for red-ball cricket.

“It’s important we continue to find an opportunity to coexist, to ensure our schedules moving forward provides something for everybody.”

Ricky Ponting suggested earlier this month the ICC has a role to play in making sure players from smaller nations are well-remunerated in Test cricket so they do not go down the franchise route.

Khan confirmed the former Australia captain’s assertion the issue had been brought up in a Cricket Committee meeting but was taken no further.

“It was perhaps a misquote,” said Khan. “It was raised initially within the ICC Cricket Committee as a discussion point but there was certainly nothing taken forward around payments to players.”

Khan, though, believes it is up to the boards of individual countries how much they pay players, pointing out all full member nations will receive a substantial increase on previous earnings during the new rights cycle from 2024-27.

“The distributions the members will be receiving in the next cycle will be greater than what they received previously,” added Khan. “The payments they pay players is purely down to the members.

“If there are player associations there, they will certainly be negotiating with those, but where there’s not, it’s down to the boards – and particularly with the key players within those boards – to decide what the payment structure looks like moving forward.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/cri...p&cvid=16ecc797077e45069d980c74c4585468&ei=13

He's talking sense but then this is also a nobrainer. I expect more leagues to pop up now and put more pressure on the Boards.

 

[light]

This was bound to happen sooner or later. Cricket will follow football's way and players wants the top $ so this is going to happen more and more.

 

[MenInG]

The IPL has ended the monopoly of international cricket on players' time, said Australia captain Pat Cummins, who feels going forward it will be a challenge to persuade players to prioritise national duty over franchise cricket. Cummins agrees that Trent Boult's decision to deny a New Zealand central contract for lucrative T20 league around the world has been in the offing since IPL changed the complexion of the game a decade ago. "It's been coming for a while, but I think it is here now," Cummins was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the World Test Championship Final against India at The Oval starting June 7.

"International cricket doesn't have a monopoly on players' time, like it did in the past. The IPL changed that a decade ago, but there's just going to be more and more content that creeps in, so I think we've got to be proactive about that." Cummins wants his teammates to consider national duty bigger than anything else but said that would be a challenge in these times of cash-rich franchise-based leagues.

"We have to keep making playing for Australia as special as we can, keeping a high performance to get every single player wanting to play for Australia as much as we can. That's going to be the challenge.

"I think it's upon us now, and we've got to start thinking about that quite deeply. I think fast-forward a few years time, a 12-month international calendar might look a little bit different," the pace spearhead said.

Cummins believes cricket is going soccer's way and there will be a time when national teams will need clearances from franchises to play for the country.

"When you're talking about some of the opportunities that may be provided through the franchises, I don't think you can blame players that might take that option," he said.

"I see the day where that (a franchise release) happens. I think it's reality. You've seen it in other sports. So again, we've got to keep selling why playing for Australia is so special. And making sure there is some flexibility to try and get the best out of these guys.

"We still want the best players winning World Cups for us, winning big series. But obviously, there's more competing interests than there were in the past.

"That's why things are starting to quicken up, and it's moving towards a more world football model, where you play for your club, employed by your club, and you get released to play for your country." Cummins believes the WTC provides bilateral Test series more context.

He said he is looking forward to Australia's first WTC Final and that too against India, who made the cut in the last edition as well.

"We've got India in the World Test Championship final first, which I think a lot of people forgot," Cummins said.

"It feels like second time around it's got a little bit more on it. It felt like a big missed opportunity that first one. So it certainly gives a bit more context to every series now, something big to play for.

"The big series, say Ashes or India series where you play four or five Test matches, are obviously big battles, whereas the more common series where you play two or three in a series, it (the World Test Championship) gives them a bit more global context and something a bit extra to play for."

NDTV