Reports | Indian cricket players may be permitted to play in overseas T20 leagues

The Indian Premier League has been highly successful as a T20 league in its 11-year course but Indian players have been restricted to play only in India and stay clear of T20 leagues outside the country. This rule might be amended, considering the increasing popularity of international T20 leagues such as the Big Bash League.

According to a report in the New Indian Express, the IPL Governing Council is considering the option of expanding the T20 horizon for Indian players, while the ICC’s working group is working on scheduling T20 leagues without overlaps. The report goes on to say that many international boards are approaching the BCCI for player clearance to allow Indian players to play in the leagues overseas.

“We have been having informal discussions on this. One school of thought is that it will give players exposure and help upcoming players. It is still a long way ahead, but more and more boards are making noise on having Indian players in their leagues. The BCCI wanted to keep the brand IPL intact, hence they were not allowed to participate in other leagues. But after 11 years, it shouldn’t have a problem,” a source was quoted as saying by the paper.

The reason that the Indian board has not allowed Indian players to take part in T20 leagues overseas has been the busy international calendar and overlap with the Indian domestic season. At present, the IPL coincides with a brief international season that requires many players to participate. However, tournaments such as the Big Bash League and the Caribbean Premier League are held during the international season.

However, the report says that ICC could chart up a schedule with separate windows for T20 leagues in Asia, UK and Caribbean and Southern Hemisphere such that they don’t clash with international fixtures, as each board wants the core players to be a part of the leagues. Many international cricketers are known to prefer these profitable leagues, with many already turning down national contracts to play for these leagues that are gaining popularity.

The above scenario could result in a drastic cut down of the international calendar as each country has a T20 league of its own and some leagues are more eye-catching than the others.