According to the article, a similar conversation allegedly took place with prominent Australian T20 players.
The ‘Times London’ alleged that the owners of major IPL franchises are attempting to entice as many as six elite England players to retire from international cricket in exchange for lucrative annual contracts of up to £5 million. Almost all of the 10 IPL teams now play in other competitions, such as the CPL (West Indies), SA T20 (South Africa), Global T20 League (United Arab Emirates), and the soon-to-be-formed Major League T20 (United States). However, the article does not specify which franchises have made overtures or which players are involved in the talks.
There will also be a promising Twenty20 tournament in Saudi Arabia, in which certain IPL teams may choose to participate.
A report in “The Times” states, “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 shift comes after unions for professional athletes discussed the possible outcomes of 12-month franchise contracts, which would be a major step towards adopting the football model of elite players being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty.
The end of the year may bring contract offers, according to a source The Times spoke with. T20 cricket is here to stay, and its successor, T10, is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
It’s possible that many young cricketers will leave the national team or their central contracts to become free agents, despite the fact that the International Cricket Council has considered limiting the number of leagues in which a currently contracted player can participate each year. The only potential problem with this plan is getting the necessary “NOC” from the cricket governing body in each country.
Some IPL franchise owners have bought stakes in several T20 tournaments in the UAE, South Africa, the Caribbean, and now the United States with the new Major League Cricket venture which begins in July, increasing the likelihood that such a model will be adopted, as reported by the newspaper.
According to the article, a similar conversation allegedly took place with prominent Australian T20 players.
Full-time contract talks have previously taken place with some prominent Australian players, and have recently been extended to English players. Contracts might be worth as much as £5 million per year, or more than five times the amount of the largest contracts in England’s central government. Partial contracts with the ECB or county and the IPL franchise, especially those who play white-ball cricket, were also discussed in the report.
In addition, discounted IPL contracts for at least three seasons would be made available. The huge amount of money on offer makes it a possibility that one or more of England’s Test stars will leave their central contracts in lieu of a franchise contract.
The most likely scenario is that players will negotiate “bespoke” contracts that will see them split their time between their county or the ECB and a franchise.
