The top six teams of the IPL are trying to persuade six star players from England to give up international cricket and play T20 leagues throughout the year. For this, contracts up to 50 lakh pounds (Rs 51 crore) are being offered. This was claimed in the report of ‘Times London’. Almost all ten IPL teams have franchises in various leagues, including the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), South Africa T20 (SA T20), UAE’s Global T20 League and the upcoming Major League in the US. However, the names of the franchises and players have not been disclosed in the report.
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‘The Times’ report quotes: “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.”
“This development follows discussions among players’ unions around the world about the potential implications of 12-month franchise contracts, which would be a significant step towards the football model of elite players being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty, rather than the other way around.”
A source told The Times that a contract offer could come by the end of the year. There is no doubt that T20 cricket is here to stay for a long time and T10 is also becoming increasingly popular. The ICC has always wanted to put a cap on the number of times centrally contracted players can play league cricket. In this case, the possibility of young players retiring from international cricket or giving up central contracts cannot be ruled out. The only hurdle in such a scenario is the respective country