Stars consider quitting England or county contracts for IPL deals

[_00_deathscar]

The problem is, you need to create a reputation to warrant that IPL contract in the first place. One bad IPL and you might get dropped. What then?

Also, professional sportspeople are normally very driven and motivated people, not necessarily the types who just want to sit on their backsides for 9 months waiting for their paydays.

If I understand the article and the idea correctly, they wouldn’t be sitting on their backsides for 9 months.
They’d be playing for the same franchise globally - eg, Mumbai, Cape Town, Sharjah whatever owned by one owner, with leagues at different points of the year.

 

[ataraxia]

I feel more sanguine about such a scenario than I would have done a few years ago as essentially it is happening already, albeit less formalised.

looking at the England team that played in the T20 World Cup final, only Stokes, Brook, Woakes and perhaps Curran are likely to play Test cricket again. The other seven played a combined total of seven county championship matches in 2022. If they all signed up for year-round IPL contracts would a supporter of the red ball game even notice?

Big 3 bias that

 

[SteveNZ]

I don't watch any franchise cricket now, outside of a little bit of Big Bash when it's on, but even that I'm watching less every year. Frankly I don't really get it or see how it compares with proper international cricket in people's eyes

I don't think it does compare with proper international cricket...but it's all about TV deals. Take me as a fan for example - I adore Tests and abhor T20Is, but which one do I watch more of? The latter. I work during the day, might catch 10-20 minutes here and there during a workday, and even on weekends it tends to be kids dominating, although I will have it on in the background sometimes, and I'll certainly be checking cricinfo furiously + always watching highlights. However, at 730pm, I have nothing to distract me and even though I don't like T20Is, I'm still going to watch it over Netflix/Amazon Prime junk.

Which is why I want day-night Tests to become a bigger thing, because the stupid ****ing 'eyeballs' thing that administrators and TV people talk about (which to be fair, dictates their revenue) becomes more relevant for Tests after 5-6pm. Unless I'm wrong, that's the sink or swim for any sport, being able to get people to watch your product - which is most popular between 6-9pm. Doesn't seem to matter how much social media/highlight/online engagement there is, the dreaded eyeballs and resulting advertising is the gold standard.

I still think with the right intellects in charge of the game, they can - and need to - ensure the viability of the international game, especially Tests and I still believe ODIs.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I think I know the (partial) answer to this...

Our version of T20 franchise cricket (CPL) has games starting at 10 in the morning, being completely tone deaf about their own local interests and specatators...and more regarding 'overseas eyeballs'.

It's absolutely disgusting.

So it's all India's fault?

 

[social]

I don't think it does compare with proper international cricket...but it's all about TV deals. Take me as a fan for example - I adore Tests and abhor T20Is, but which one do I watch more of? The latter. I work during the day, might catch 10-20 minutes here and there during a workday, and even on weekends it tends to be kids dominating, although I will have it on in the background sometimes, and I'll certainly be checking cricinfo furiously + always watching highlights. However, at 730pm, I have nothing to distract me and even though I don't like T20Is, I'm still going to watch it over Netflix/Amazon Prime junk.

Which is why I want day-night Tests to become a bigger thing, because the stupid ****ing 'eyeballs' thing that administrators and TV people talk about (which to be fair, dictates their revenue) becomes more relevant for Tests after 5-6pm. Unless I'm wrong, that's the sink or swim for any sport, being able to get people to watch your product - which is most popular between 6-9pm. Doesn't seem to matter how much social media/highlight/online engagement there is, the dreaded eyeballs and resulting advertising is the gold standard.

I still think with the right intellects in charge of the game, they can - and need to - ensure the viability of the international game, especially Tests and I still believe ODIs.

Apart from your point re Odis, this is pretty much spot on

I am old enough to have been in England in the mid 80s when some people were claiming that coloured clothing/lights would never catch on as “it’s just not cricket” or some other rot

The game needs to be made more accessible to the masses and if that means more day/night tests then so be it

Something positive should also be done about empty seats at as well

Here’s the daily attendance at test matches in Australia last summer

https://www.austadiums.com/sport/comp/test-cricket/results

Not a full house among them so why not set aside a % of free tickets for school kids, registered players etc?

The administrators hate it because they are free but it has to be better than just empty seats

 

[turnstyle]

The significant factor here is the ICC. If they start granting windows to these leagues with IPL stakeholders like the rumours have it, it's hard to see it going in any other direction than yearly franchise contracts. It feels a bit like mankadding. Once the stigma is removed, it'll be a no brainer signing up for 20 million a year rather than 300k with your board.

It's wild to think that almost the entire cricketing calendar will be in the hands of a couple of franchise holders. Imagine if they go bankrupt.

If that does happen, I hope the ICC compensates by relaxing ODI and test criteria to fixtures so at least players who don't get picked up can still have a career against the other countries that can't get a fixture during these tournaments. Makes no sense to have all those FC cricketers running around for nothing.

 

[social]

The significant factor here is the ICC. If they start granting windows to these leagues with IPL stakeholders like the rumours have it, it's hard to see it going in any other direction than yearly franchise contracts. It feels a bit like mankadding. Once the stigma is removed, it'll be a no brainer signing up for 20 million a year rather than 300k with your board.

It's wild to think that almost the entire cricketing calendar will be in the hands of a couple of franchise holders. Imagine if they go bankrupt.

If that does happen, I hope the ICC compensates by relaxing ODI and test criteria to fixtures so at least players who don't get picked up can still have a career against the other countries that can't get a fixture during these tournaments. Makes no sense to have all those FC cricketers running around for nothing.

The BCCI basically controls the ICC and the IPL plus spin-offs so it’s up to them

 

[social]

This club gets it

‘Football for all’: Fortuna Düsseldorf to offer fans free tickets next season

The German second division club Fortuna Düsseldorf will be offering free tickets to all fans in some matches next season

www.theguardian.com

 

[SteveNZ]

I think the point where I'd really be scared is if these big money franchise leagues started hunting out the best young talents from around the world and contracting them to academies before domestic/international sides. If that happened, then international cricket could be ****ed.

If not, those players (non Indian) still need to make their name somewhere to be picked up. And in that scenario, there has to be ways to protect the international game. Maybe it's creating franchise windows and saying if you want to be considered as an overseas player, you must make yourself available to your country outside that window.

Thing is too, not every cricketer can be a T20 gun. Some won't like that format. Some like being on the road a lot before families etc. And only so many can be picked up. Test cricket and international cricket will last as long as they are preserved and valued. The minute administrators throw their hands up and quit, or suckle at the T20 teet too hard, that's where the issues lie.

 

[Socerer 01]

The BCCI basically controls the ICC and the IPL plus spin-offs so it’s up to them

the bcci doesn't control the spinoffs, they aren't a fan of the whole spinoff saga because it is not under their influence

 

[Flem274*]

Sounds like a lot of problems would be solved if we just ate the franchise owners. I'm moving house next week and I'll have a gravel pit where we can store the bodies.

I think the point where I'd really be scared is if these big money franchise leagues started hunting out the best young talents from around the world and contracting them to academies before domestic/international sides. If that happened, then international cricket could be ****ed.

Ah, the Melbourne Storm approach.

 

[_00_deathscar]

I don't think it does compare with proper international cricket...but it's all about TV deals. Take me as a fan for example - I adore Tests and abhor T20Is, but which one do I watch more of? The latter. I work during the day, might catch 10-20 minutes here and there during a workday, and even on weekends it tends to be kids dominating, although I will have it on in the background sometimes, and I'll certainly be checking cricinfo furiously + always watching highlights. However, at 730pm, I have nothing to distract me and even though I don't like T20Is, I'm still going to watch it over Netflix/Amazon Prime junk.

Which is why I want day-night Tests to become a bigger thing, because the stupid ****ing 'eyeballs' thing that administrators and TV people talk about (which to be fair, dictates their revenue) becomes more relevant for Tests after 5-6pm. Unless I'm wrong, that's the sink or swim for any sport, being able to get people to watch your product - which is most popular between 6-9pm. Doesn't seem to matter how much social media/highlight/online engagement there is, the dreaded eyeballs and resulting advertising is the gold standard.

I still think with the right intellects in charge of the game, they can - and need to - ensure the viability of the international game, especially Tests and I still believe ODIs.

It’s not just a timing problem - it genuinely is a format issue, as far as advertising revenue (and let’s face it that’s what funds the game) goes.

Moving to a day/night schedule will certainly help, but there’s too many variables in test cricket, and it’s too long a format, to have eyes glued on the screen.
Then there’s the lost days.
Match revenue itself being relatively low.

And thus, advertisers won’t pay as much as knowing they’ll have a very large majority of the people glued in for a 4 hour T20 franchise game.

In a chat someone made the comparison to golf and F1, but:
- F1 is somehow ***y despite being boring. The amount of female viewers, plus the overall prestige of the event, means advertisers pay a ton.
- no idea how/what golf does in that regard…

But to add to those, those 2 don’t have their own mini versions of the game cannibalising itself.

 

[Ali TT]

Anderson's probably got grand kids!! I think pre-families, most cricketers probably have different perspectives on how much they want to play.

I was once made redundant having worked for a company for 15 years, got a very nice payout. I did precious little for the next 6 months, probably the closest I've ever been to some form of mental health issue. I'm not sure taking long breaks is really in the best interests of sportspeople. I've often wondered what American Footballers do for 6 months.

Beating up their wives/girlfriends and being involved in fatal DUIs seems to a common off-season activity.

I think the point where I'd really be scared is if these big money franchise leagues started hunting out the best young talents from around the world and contracting them to academies before domestic/international sides. If that happened, then international cricket could be ****ed.

If not, those players (non Indian) still need to make their name somewhere to be picked up. And in that scenario, there has to be ways to protect the international game. Maybe it's creating franchise windows and saying if you want to be considered as an overseas player, you must make yourself available to your country outside that window.

Thing is too, not every cricketer can be a T20 gun. Some won't like that format. Some like being on the road a lot before families etc. And only so many can be picked up. Test cricket and international cricket will last as long as they are preserved and valued. The minute administrators throw their hands up and quit, or suckle at the T20 teet too hard, that's where the issues lie.

I might be wrong but I though some of the IPL franchises already have academies and talent scouting. With the CPL, they have their fingers into the West Indies and presumably will also soon have reach into South Africa too. Think it might be a while before a besuited, sunglasses-wearing Indian agent turns up to watch a 17yo prospect playing for South Shields 2nd XI on a Saturday afternoon in April.

 

[Third_Man]

If I understand the article and the idea correctly, they wouldn’t be sitting on their backsides for 9 months.
They’d be playing for the same franchise globally - eg, Mumbai, Cape Town, Sharjah whatever owned by one owner, with leagues at different points of the year.

This is how I understand it, coupled with the IPL franchises being able to afford academies. Last year Mumbai 2nds (for want of a name) toured England a game was announced as against a Lancashire XI but it turned into being against the franchise outfit based in Manchester.

The all year round contracts are for people like Buttler and Livingstone who only really turn up in to Old Trafford these days when they are injured and need a physio / medical team who they trust. That is the thing that is most likely to keep them contracted to a county, being with the medical team and support staff who have nutured them since they were 14 (in Livi's case).

 

[SteveNZ]

I might be wrong but I though some of the IPL franchises already have academies and talent scouting. With the CPL, they have their fingers into the West Indies and presumably will also soon have reach into South Africa too. Think it might be a while before a besuited, sunglasses-wearing Indian agent turns up to watch a 17yo prospect playing for South Shields 2nd XI on a Saturday afternoon in April.

OK, yeah I thought that might the case on a smaller scale. I genuinely don't give a **** about the IPL and I'm not across WI cricket as much - have there been any young West Indian guys go straight into the T20 franchise system without playing for their country/domestically?

For NZ, the issue would lie with someone like a Finn Allen, if these scouts pick him up after playing for St Kent's 1st XI and NZ U19 and say here's a franchise contract, for more $ than any NZ contracted player apart from the top couple. That's yours. You are now a squad member of our franchise who play in the IPL, CPL, Saudi leagues etc, and we'll give you a 3-4 year contract to develop. And you are our asset now. That becomes especially possible with the possible injection of Saudi money.

If that happens, to me, the ICC would need to find a way to disincentivise that. They can't fight it with money, not by a long stretch. They could look at franchise windows, but the franchises etc would have to agree to it, and with their power they may have no interest. They could 'ban' franchise-exclusive players for a period after their contracts (if not renewed) but that might be counter-productive.

The last thing they can do, however is a) sit on their hands now and not be proactive about this issue and b) throw their hands up and say 'ah well they are too powerful (like a lot of these media articles do)

 

[Tom Flint]

I feel more sanguine about such a scenario than I would have done a few years ago as essentially it is happening already, albeit less formalised.

looking at the England team that played in the T20 World Cup final, only Stokes, Brook, Woakes and perhaps Curran are likely to play Test cricket again. The other seven played a combined total of seven county championship matches in 2022. If they all signed up for year-round IPL contracts would a supporter of the red ball game even notice?

Most were dropped from England's test team for not being good enough though not because they gave it up.
Bairstow would have been another too and wood

 

[Xix2565]

But to add to those, those 2 don’t have their own mini versions of the game cannibalising itself.

I don't get blaming the formats ovet the people running everything. Like seriously, the amount of work put into making franchise T20s good as an entertainment product is nowhere to be seen when it comes first class cricket and international cricket. If you're going to **** around doing nothing, it's not going to be fun finding out the results. And it's not like the players hate the longer formats, the boards just decided to be idiots for short term gains.

 

[_00_deathscar]

I don't get blaming the formats ovet the people running everything. Like seriously, the amount of work put into making franchise T20s good as an entertainment product is nowhere to be seen when it comes first class cricket and international cricket. If you're going to **** around doing nothing, it's not going to be fun finding out the results. And it's not like the players hate the longer formats, the boards just decided to be idiots for short term gains.

It’s because first class and international cricket doesn’t make as much money. Not that hard really…

And I’m not blaming the other formats so much as pointing out that F1 and golf, the two other sports that could maybe be considered somewhat similar to test cricket with regards to the issues it may face from a TV audience perspective, don’t have the same problem of another format within the same sport at the same level.

 

[duffer]

If I was a player I'd take the money and live it up. Even if this doesn't happen in the next few years it is inevitable that T20 will kill off the other forms of cricket I think. Just a matter of time.

 

[Burgey]

No surprise the Poms would have no regard for their national set up and prefer meaningless franchise guff.