Million-Dollars Offer! IPL Franchises Woo England Cricketers to Quit International Stage

In line with a report through the 'Times London,' the owners of select Indian Premier League franchises are seeking to entice six premier England players with an extravagant multimillion-dollar offer. Their aim is to persuade these players to retire from international cricket and exclusively participate in franchise cricket year-round.

The reported figures fall within the ballpark of 5 million pounds, approximately equivalent to INR 50 crore. Notably, nearly all of the ten IPL franchises have expanded their involvement in international markets, supporting franchises across various regions, such as the Caribbean Premier League, the SA T20 League in South Africa, the upcoming Major League Cricket in the USA, and the ILT20 League in the UAE.

Although the original report from The 'Times London' did not specify the franchises vying to offer multi-million contracts to the top English cricketers, it also did not disclose the players involved in these discussions. In recent times, there has been considerable speculation surrounding Saudi Arabia's plans to launch what is being referred to as the 'richest T20 league' globally. This development has garnered attention and may also capture the interest of IPL franchises.

What did the report say?

“Initial discussions have taken place after at least six English players, including some international stars, were approached by IPL franchise owners and asked whether, in principle, they would accept a deal that would make an Indian team their main employer, rather than the ECB or an English county.

This development follows discussions among players’ unions around the world about the potential implications of 12-month franchise contracts, which would be a significant step towards the football model of elite players being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty, rather than the other way around."

The report

Obstacles for players?

Considering the sustained popularity and anticipated growth of T20 cricket in the coming years, the possibility mentioned cannot be dismissed. It is worth noting that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been contemplating implementing restrictions on the number of leagues a player can participate in within a given calendar year. However, one potential hurdle that may prevent players from completely relinquishing their annual central contracts is the requirement of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from cricket boards to participate in a league.

It also said,

“Discussions have already taken place with a number of high-profile Australian players about full-time deals but this has now been extended to English players. Contracts could be worth upwards of GBP 2 million a year and even as high as GBP 5 million, more than five times the value of the highest England central contracts.”

Players likely to negotiate with ECB

There is a possibility of reduced IPL contracts that would encompass a minimum of three rounds. However, it is improbable that England's Test players would opt to abandon their central contracts in favour of franchise contracts. Nevertheless, the substantial amount of money involved in the offers poses a potential risk in the future. It is more likely that players will negotiate "bespoke" agreements based on their individual circumstances. This could result in them being partially contracted to their county or the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and partially contracted to a franchise.

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