Are franchise-based leagues impacting International cricket? Experts think so!

MCC recommends to “save international cricket” amid rise of franchise cricket; says “only IPL commands a window to avoid international clash”

Solely for entertainment purposes, the T20 format was introduced, and the impact of this format seen in fans is precisely the reason why such a format is now the most-watched format in the world.

Many of you may not know that the epic success of the 2007 T20 World Cup tournament paved the way for the entry of several franchise cricket leagues across the world.

And just a year after the 2007 T20 World Cup, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) launched its own franchise cricket league, the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Similarly, several other top countries came forward to give competition and came up with their own T20 cricket leagues, which also turned out quite successful. 

 Let’s take a look at the best T20 cricket leagues:

1. Indian Premier League

2. Big Bash League

3. T20 Blast

4. Pakistan Super League

5. Caribbean Premier League

6. Bangladesh Premier League

7. Lanka Premier League

8. Afghan Premier League

9. SA20 League

10. UAE International League T20

‘INTERVENE URGENTLY’

Several cricket chiefs have been urged by the body (MCC World Cricket Committee) to ‘intervene urgently’ to make sure that the international game can thrive alongside the booming franchise competitions.

The committee, which includes current and former players, acknowledged the increased playing opportunities and financial health of the game but said it was vital to make it sustainable in the long term.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly stressed the importance of Tests at the World Cricket Committee meeting in Dubai.

The global body issued a statement and said that the men’s cricket schedule in 2023 was “saturated” with franchise competitions. It overlapped with other international series,” says the WCC.

“Only IPL (Indian Premier League) a Twenty20 competition commands a window to avoid international clashes of the domestic tournaments,” the WCC added.

There are many top-class cricketers who have announced or are planning to announce retiring from the 50-over format citing an “unsustainable” schedule or “to spend more time with the family and make more room in the schedule for franchise cricket”.

 ‘OVERLAP AND CONGESTION’

“This happens every time and continued overlap and congestion is witnessing a rise in number of players forced to choose between club and country, which will threaten the ‘best v best’ status that is so critical to the success and appeal of international cricket,” the body said in its statement issued last week on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

The WCC said the issue of overlap between domestic leagues and international cricket in the women’s game was not a problem currently but still recommended the boards to find an “optimal balance” between the two.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, a WCC member, also said Test cricket remained the “biggest platform and that should always continue to be the pinnacle and I am sure that countries will give importance to it and find the right balance between franchise cricket and Test cricket,” he said.

 ‘A WHOLE NATION CARES’

A former Australia opener, coach, and fellow member Justin Langer said, “The difference between international cricket and domestic T20 cricket is that the whole nation cares when their country is involved”.

Read more:- IND vs AUS: India wins Border-Gavaskar series 2-1, reaches WTC final

“The best players’ statistics are measured at the international level like we all know that India’s Sachin Tendulkar scored 100 international centuries and Sri Lanka’s Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets,” Langer added.

The growth of leagues is putting a lot of stress on the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), leading to an “alarming disparity” in the number of matches played by a minority of member nations which is neither “equitable nor sustainable”, the body added.

While the Big 3 – India, Australia, and England — get the lion’s share of international assignments, the smaller Test-playing nations like Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe, among others, receive a raw deal because of the extremely tight FTP.

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