IPL franchises offer long-term contracts to international cricketers

With the talks of domestic T20 leagues eating away international cricket in the near future all around, widespread reports have surfaced that several top international players have been approached by IPL franchises to play for their teams in different T20 leagues around the world. Ever since the birth of T20 cricket and the success of T20 leagues all across the globe, cricket pundits have feared the death of international cricket as fans and players are more drawn to the razzmatazz of these cash-rich leagues.

Turning this fear into a reality, six English players, including some internationals, have been approached by IPL franchises to sign them in a deal where they will be playing for the franchise in numerous T20 leagues around the globe. The deal will see them giving up their national contracts and making these franchises their main employer instead of their respective national cricket boards.

According to Heath Mills, executive chairman of FICA (global players’ body), such deals are being offered to players in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies as well.

“There have been informal conversations between some franchises and players about being available to play in multiple tournaments. That can take a different shape and form for different players. But it should come as no surprise to anyone in cricket that these conversations are happening and that players will have these sorts of options in the future,” Mills was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“Without going into the specifics of individual conversations, they are about a player being available to play for a franchise in different T20 leagues. A franchise might have three or four teams globally, so they might want the player in multiple competitions – as opposed to just the IPL. It’s not necessarily about signing a player up for all competitions exclusively but rather additional ones to their IPL team,” Mills added.

With the prospect of earning more than their annual contracts within a few weeks, players are likely to get drawn towards these deals, now being offered all over the world, and are likely to choose T20 leagues over international cricket. Last year, New Zealand cricketers Trent Boult and Martin Guptill gave up their respective national contracts to make themselves available for different T20 leagues all over the world.

You could look to create windows where people agree to not play any international cricket: Heath Mills

In the near future, more cricketers are expected to follow suit and go rogue on their national boards with the packed international calendar suffocating them every year. To prevent this from happening, Mills has offered a solution where direct clashes with international cricket and T20 Leagues can be avoided by creating three windows in a year for T20 leagues alone.

“One option boards have is to actually come together and agree to incorporate T20 leagues in their bilateral programme and within that process look at creating windows for T20 leagues. You might create a window in April-May for IPL, you might create another window for T20 leagues in the southern hemisphere in January and early February, you might create another window in September before an ICC event,” Mills added.

“You could look to create windows where people agree to not play any international cricket when a T20 league is happening. Everyone will need to compromise a little bit, but it is possible. Until that happens there will continue to be a collision and players will be forced to make a choice. And sadly I’m not sure that bilateral cricket will win,” the executive chairman of FICA concluded,