Those who follow the ebbs and flows of the ‘future of English cricket’ saga will be familiar with Kevin Pietersen’s oft repeated view that County cricket will be replaced by franchises. One might almost think he has some personal interest..
A more serious angle on the matter has appeared in the Financial Times(27th August). It notes that the IPL which is by far the most well supported and financially sound cricket tournament in the world is planning to expand its operations to South Africa (where two 20 over competitions have already failed) and to the UAE. One IPL franchise the Knight Riders will field a team in a T20 tournament there and in this year’s Caribbean Premier League. The Mumbai Indians another IPL side are also looking for global franchises.
The FT notes that the plan is to have franchise cricket played somewhere in the world year round with small gaps for International short form and Test matches. The attraction for players, particularly those well into their careers to play exclusively in financially lucrative T20 games is clear. New Zealand’s Trent Boult has just retired from international cricket to do just that.
Meanwhile the ECB has just signed a new contract with Sky to screen and fund its T20 variant The Hundred to 2028. Will it be able to withstand the lure of expanding IPL franchises? We shall see…
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