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Rise of global T20 leagues is alarming; are we witnessing gradual death of international cricket?

Robin

T20 leagues are being played throughout the year [Source: AFP]T20 leagues are being played throughout the year [Source: AFP]

The Indian Premier League (IPL), Big Bash League (BBL), SA20, ILT20, Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) are the major T20 franchise cricket tournaments played throughout the year in the cricketing calendar.

Now there have been talks that the Champions League T20 (CLT20) will be back, and New Zealand is also planning to launch their own T20 cricket league - NZ20. This makes the cricketing calendar jam-packed. Most of these leagues go on for at least a month, except for the IPL, which goes on for roughly 2 months, and there have been talks that the IPL is going to increase the number of games.

Most of the players from every country participate very actively in most of these leagues on top of their international commitments.

So the question is, with these many T20 leagues played throughout the year, and quite a few of them planning to expand in terms of number of teams or matches, what will the future of international cricket be?

Why will international cricket be affected?

The question arises: how will all these leagues affect international cricket? The answer is simple: the leagues are quite lucrative for the players, and they provide them with constant opportunities.

The problem with international cricket is that it only gets the audience hooked when the big teams play against each other. Players from Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, etc., don’t get a lot of opportunities.

Honestly, cricket right now is exciting only when India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Pakistan play against each other. This affects cricket’s growth as a global sport.

Another problem is that every year there is one ICC tournament, which just reduces the value of the global tournaments as they should be. Not every side plays Test cricket, which is another debatable topic.

So if you are a good player from, suppose, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Zimbabwe, etc., it is unlikely that you’ll get good opportunities playing only international cricket.

Why are players attracted towards T20 leagues?

The rise of T20 leagues will ensure that players from these nations get a good chance to showcase their talent and secure their future by playing in the leagues. Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede got selected for the MI Emirates in the ILT20, and Josh Little and Mark Adair from Ireland get plenty of gigs around the globe.

Lhuan dre Pretorius during SA20 (source: @Ashito279/X)Lhuan dre Pretorius during SA20 (source: @Ashito279/X)

There are many examples of players’ lives changing due to playing the T20 leagues around the globe. They get good recognition, like how Lhuan dre Pretorius from South Africa got himself an IPL deal since he performed well in the SA20.

Many IPL franchises now have their teams in different T20 leagues around the globe. So, if a player performs well in those leagues, it is possible that they get an opportunity to play in the IPL and for the same franchise in different leagues.

Players can also go and play in leagues like the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), ILT20, and all those T10 leagues at the fag end of their careers, which ensures long-term job security for them.

So, with all these benefits, why would any player (except India) choose to play international cricket, where you don’t get paid anywhere close to what you get in franchise cricket leagues and don’t get enough opportunities either?

So, what’s the solution?

To answer this, first, we’ll have to decide if it is even a problem in the first place. Players will get plenty of opportunities and good pay, and the fans will have good cricketing action throughout the year.

But cricket going the football way won’t be easier. There are a lot of shady leagues going around, and they should be closely monitored. Test cricket will retain its popularity and special place in the sport, and may end up as a format in which only selected teams play.

Bilateral series may even go extinct or be reduced to a very rare occurrence. Cricket also needs the ICC tournaments, mainly the 50-over World Cup, to be the pinnacle of the sport, but it’s not the case right now.

One ICC tournament every year doesn’t feel right as a viewer. One solution for this problem is to scrap the ICC Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup, leaving the ICC World Cup as the only ICC event.

It will increase the value of the event, but teams/players playing only T20s throughout the year may be another issue for this.

So, it is really difficult to say what the future of international cricket will be, but one thing that is very evident is that the T20 leagues will take over the majority of the cricketing calendar, and somewhere or the other, international cricket will suffer.