Since the time Indian Premier League (IPL) started back in 2008, a doomsday scenario had been painted about the future of international cricket.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), basically a member organisation, watched even as IPL took off in grand style. Their key honchos attended grand launches and were simply in awe of the glitz around the IPL.
But the worry about the ‘bad Indian cricket money’ was always around the corner. If you read cricket media outside of India, it was always about how Indian money was about to ruin the sport. They kept raising the alarm every year and each time it appeared to be a bit far-fetched.
The various cricket boards kept quiet, watched as their key players opted to play the IPL and then the other leagues. The priority slowly started moving from playing international cricket to featuring in the franchise leagues around the world. But no league offered as much cash as the IPL. The spectacle of watching a player being auctioned for rupees was simply fascinating for the players.
The IPL itself underwent a number of challenges with spot fixing scandals and the issues surrounding the BCCI’s governance over the years. But the lure of the Indian cricket money just would not go away.
Then came the pandemic which sort of accelerated the doomsday scenario for cricket as a sport.
During the pandemic, T20 franchise leagues around the world were played behind closed doors. The players started moving from bubbles of one league to another and then newer tournaments emerged.
A Surge of Domestic T20 Leagues
In a space of six months we have had an even more crowded franchise calendar with the emergence of International League T20 (ILT20) in UAE, the SA20 in South Africa. Then came the announcement of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.
In all three tournaments, the common link was the presence of IPL team owners or Indian owners. This triggered speculation that players from around the globe, especially the white ball specialists, could just jump on the franchise bandwagon.
Basically these players would move from league to league, playing for the same owner, around the world. Some IPL team owners are also present in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). So we are basically looking at around four tournaments outside the IPL where the team owners could ‘own’ the players and employ them to play.
The first sign around this came when Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham opted out of the New Zealand central contracts. They opted to play the UAE and South African leagues. Then speculation rose about the future of certain Australian players. Again the villain in this scenario was the bad Indian cricket money which was being offered to key Aussie stars like David Warner. Some of the other Australian players who only play white ball cricket were also supposed to be on the radar.
Jason Roy Follows Faf du Plessis' Path
The speculation grew further as the just-concluded IPL season went on about similar deals being offered to English white ball specialists. There was one specific name that was bandied about in the form of Jofra Archer who has been perennially injured. But instead, the first English wicket to be claimed by the evil Indian cash was the flamboyant opener Jason Roy.
During the 2023 season Roy came in as a late replacement for regular Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer. He showed flashes of brilliance but that could not help Kolkata make the playoffs.
But the moment the season ended, speculation began about Roy’s future as an England cricketer. Lo and behold the rumours turned out to be true as Roy himself confirmed that he accepted an MLC contract with the Knight Riders franchise. For now Roy and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been at pains to explain that he is still in the fray for international call-up. But we have been here before, haven’t we?
Faf Du Plessis chose to play domestic T20 leagues and has not been seen since in international matches.
(Image: BCCI)
Faf du Plessis, the former South African captain opted to go similar route a couple of years ago and has not been seen in Proteas colours. Boult’s future in international cricket is uncertain. A few more English and Australian players who are at the end of their international careers could opt for similar deals.
It is all very well to blame IPL and the Indian cash, but the problem lies elsewhere. While cricket as a sport was slipping, everyone was asleep at the wheel. The signs have been there forever but the administrators around the globe have not bothered to act on it.
Uncertainty for Other Leagues
English counties are now up in arms about the whole issue. They want a better understanding of how they will manage their players who keep going off in the middle of the season. The counties have taken care of the welfare of these players till now, but now with franchise cricket coming in they do not want to have anything to do with it.
The MLC for example falls bang in the middle of England’s pet project The Hundred and so does CPL.
Even in New Zealand and Australia, cricketers are opting for white ball specific contracts with their state sides. South African cricketers have a franchise tournament of their own so they have some security. But England, New Zealand and Australian boards have plenty to worry about.
Pakistan players are no longer in the reckoning for the IPL. But with the IPL owners involved elsewhere this is going to be an interesting space to watch on how Pakistan players are dealt with. Sri Lankan and West Indies players are basically T20 specialists, who will in demand in the coming months and years.
Changing Times for International Cricket
International cricket is therefore at an interesting inflection point where the players are gravitating towards franchise T20 tournaments around the world. The ICC and the member boards with its classic visionary approach are looking elsewhere. The ICC calendar for the next eight years have a number of ODI tournaments including World Cup and Champions Trophy.
Someone somewhere has dropped the ball which has resulted in T20 cricket taking over the globe, while the administrators are still stuck in a time warp.
The only country not bothered by any of these changes is India, because no current cricketer is allowed to play franchise cricket anywhere in the world unless they retire. That seems very unlikely in the short term because of so much at stake for them within India.
The other boards too have plenty to gain by letting their players play in the IPL because they get a percentage of the fee that the players make.
So, it is a win win for all in the end.
The only people suffering in the bargain are the fans for whom this whole charade is played out. They want nation vs nation cricket, but the sport is pushing for itself to be a franchise-based concept.
Guess the evil Indian cricket money is not bad after all.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)