Franchise cricket leagues are no cop-out, says Rudraneil Sengupta

Franchise leagues boost the economics of a game, promote players, build fandom and viewership. Other sports have benefited; perhaps it’s cricket’s turn now.

When fast-bowler Trent Boult announced that he was opting out of New Zealand’s central contract earlier this month, he was widely criticised for choosing money — in the form of franchise league cricket — over country. It’s a narrow way of looking at a situation that could very well become a highwater mark for international cricket.

From here on, a change is coming. Cricket is that rare team sport that has been fuelled, so far, by the fervour of nations competing against each other, rather than clubs. Most other major team sports, including football, basketball and baseball, are defined by club culture, with the focus shifting from club to country only when a major tournament is played, at most once a year, and in some cases once in four years (as with the football world cup).

There’s no denying how well this latter system works. It boosts the economics of the game, promotes player development and grassroots systems, fan engagement and viewership.

Boult’s decision is a symbolic turning point, but it’s a turning point we’ve known was coming. Ever since the Indian Premier League (IPL) was launched in 2008, it has seemed like, for cricket to grow and thrive, it too must go the club-over-country way.

In Boult’s case, his decision makes sense from both an economic and a personal standpoint. In fact, it’s a wonder more players haven’t already taken this route. The left-arm quick is 33 and, on current form, one of the world’s best. He was key to the Black Caps making the finals of both the ODI and T20 World Cups in recent years, and he helped New Zealand beat India to become champions of the first-ever World Test Championship in 2019. He is (or was) one of his country’s highest-paid cricketers, earning more than $300,000 from his central contract and match fees alone.

But what was his contract with the Rajasthan Royals this year worth? Almost $1 million. For two months’ worth of cricket, as opposed to many months of touring for New Zealand. Looked at that way, it’s a pretty simple decision, especially given all that Boult has already done for his country.

A month before Boult made his announcement, there was another piece of news that signalled the coming change: IPL franchise owners bought all six teams in South Africa’s new T20 league, for which the South African cricket board went so far as to cancel their scheduled ODI series in Australia, accepting a forfeit and putting their participation in the 2023 World Cup in doubt.

Earlier this year, some of the IPL owners also picked up teams in the upcoming T20 league in UAE. Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings already owned foreign teams— the Trinbago Knight Riders and St Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League — before their investments in UAE and South Africa, and the Knight Riders are also the founding members of Major League Cricket, the T20 league that will be kicked off in the US next year.

As a result, players from around the world will now have the opportunity to sign with multiple franchises under the same ownership. Boult will be top of the list for the Royals’ South African franchise, and could end up with record-setting earnings and an otherwise-rare work-life balance.

As I see it, there’s only one thing that could halt this trend: active bans such as those enforced by BCCI (the Board of Control for Cricket in India), which prohibits Indian cricketers from playing in foreign leagues. When it comes to the threat of punishment vs the rewards of the free market, though, I think we know which side is more likely to win.