Australian players have reportedly been contacted about turning their backs on international cricket in favour of year-round franchise deals.
The Age reports that Indian Premier League teams are taking steps to see if cricket is ripe for a dramatic overhaul, in the same way that LIV Golf has changed the golfing landscape in 2022.
LIV Golf split the sport in two this year with lucrative sign-on fees, big prize money, and a reduced playing schedule that convinced many players to leave the sport’s traditional tours.
Cricket could be in the early stages of its own upheaval with wealthy IPL franchises said to be plotting how they can dominate the landscape for all 12 months.
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According to The Age, representatives of IPL franchises have had informal discussions with Australian cricketers, via their agents, about taking up 12-month deals.
A source familiar with the situation told the publication that $5 million could be the amount needed to sway a prominent Australian cricketer.
That would be more than double what Australia’s highest earner, Pat Cummins, makes as Test and ODI captain.
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Australia has a number of players that would be major assets and, no doubt, key targets for IPL franchises as they continue their expansion across the globe.
Cummins would be highly-sought after, as would David Warner and Glenn Maxwell who are marketable figures with a wealth of IPL experience.
The IPL is not looking to expand to a lengthy season but rather some of its franchises are buying or creating clubs in other leagues across the globe.
For example, Kolkata Knight Riders own the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, Abu Dhabi in the upcoming UAE International League, and will have a Los Angeles-based team in to-be-launched Major League Cricket.
Players could therefore be contracted to the one franchise, and play across their suite of teams around the world.
Agents say that there is yet to be genuine interest from their Australian clients, according to The Age, although that could change as players get closer to retirement.
Earlier this year, Cricket Australia was faced with its first major player conflict when Warner reportedly asked for permission to play in the UAE league, which overlaps with the Big Bash League.
CA eventually stepped in with Warner offered an attractive Sydney Thunder contract, but prior to the deal, Australia legend Adam Gilchrist warned about the serious knock-on effect at stake.
“This is the big kicker, isn’t it, of possibly being the step towards being contracted to the club before or over country for the predominant amount of cricket you play,” Gilchrist said on SEN at the time.
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“There will be other players on the radar, it’s all part of this, I guess, global dominance that these IPL franchises are starting to create given they own a number of teams in the Caribbean Premier League.
“If he rides off into the sunset and says, ‘sorry Australian cricket, I’m going to become a gun for hire for my Indian franchise team in various tournaments’, you can’t question him on that, that’s his prerogative and he’s done everything he needs to get the profile and get that market value.
“It’s the new younger player coming in that starts to make those noises where it’ll be really challenging.”
Although it didn’t come to fruition, Gilchrist proposed the potential for Warner to become Australia’s first player to turn down a central contract and only play for a match fee, as Trent Boult has done for New Zealand.
“He goes and plays wherever he wants but says, ‘I’m available for every Test match, for every one-day international and every T20 international’ by way of example, ‘I’ll be there for you in national colours’,” Gilchrist said.
“‘But other than that, I’m going to play my club, my franchise cricket, wherever I want to knowing that none of those big tournaments will be clashing with international cricket’.”
Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan spoke out against the emergence of franchise leagues in July, when Ben Stokes announced he would be retiring from ODIs.
“Bilateral ODI/T20 series will have to go if all the boards around the world are desperate for there own franchise tournaments!” he tweeted.
“Something has to give … it shouldn’t be players retiring from one format aged 31.
