IPL hits English cricket for a six, tempts players with lucrative contracts

According to a report in the Times London, initial discussions have already taken place between the players and IPL franchises

IPL hits English cricket for a six, tempts players with lucrative contracts

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the richest cricket body in the world and hence the most influential. This makes the Indian Premier League (IPL) the biggest T20 league in the world. Players from across the globe including England feature in the league. While the England Cricket Board (ECB) is pretty selective about who to send to India to take part in the T20 league, BCCI through IPL teams has clean-bowled their English counterpart.

Reports have emerged that a few IPL franchises have approached as many as six England players including some international stars with lucrative offers. The IPL team owners have offered these English players to play for them throughout the year instead of England.

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As a handful of IPL teams have extended their wings in different parts of the world, in terms of acquiring teams in different T20 leagues, they want their international stars to play for them throughout the year. IPL teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians have already acquired teams in T20 leagues in South Africa, the Caribbean, as well in the UAE.

However, the temptation to offer a full-time contract to players arose after the imminent arrival of Saudi Arabia into the T20 franchise league market. The Saudi government is in talks with the owners of the IPL to set up a lucrative new competition that could divide the sport in a similar way to the controversial LIV Tour’s impact on golf.

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England players offered to give up central contracts for full-time IPL deals

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According to a report in the Times London, initial discussions have already taken place between the players and IPL franchises. These six England players have been offered to give up their central or county contracts and take up the full-time contracts offered by IPL teams.

“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,” claimed the report.

If these players accept the offer, they would be playing franchise cricket for about seven months a year. The IPL is also set to expand to ten weeks in the next couple of years. This will make it hard for the cricket boards to retain their players. However, the ECB is already working on a counterattack move by mulling over offering multi-year contracts to its players.

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