Boards and leagues effectively cannibalising themselves’ – FICA executive chairman

Leading international players have discussed multi-league contracts with IPL franchises. Though informal, discussions suggest that leading players may work for an IPL franchise rather than a full-member board. On Tuesday, the Times reported that six English players, including some internationals, were approached by IPL franchise owners and asked whether they would accept an arrangement in which the franchise owner, not the board or county, would be their principal job.

Heath Mills, executive chairman of FICA, the worldwide players’ organisation, said these conversations have taken place in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and West Indies. “There have been informal conversations between some franchises and players about being available to play in multiple tournaments,” Mills told ESPNcricinfo. That varies by player. However, cricketers can expect these discussions and future player alternatives.

“Without delving into individual conversations, they are about a player being eligible to play for a club in different T20 tournaments. A franchise with three or four teams worldwide may want the player in numerous leagues, not only the IPL. It’s not about recruiting a player for all competitions but adding to their IPL team.” Mills said FICA was “aware of conversations for a little while now with a few players to be available for multiple competitions.”

Since IPL clubs like Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders expanded into new competitions in the UAE, South Africa, and the US, such a scenario has been a possibility for some time. It appeared last year in David Warner’s contract dispute and Trent Boult’s central contract withdrawal. The chairman of the global players’ association confirming initial talks turns a potential into a more concrete future vision.

Not immediately. On the BBC’s Test Match Special podcast this week, ECB managing director Rob Key said that luring England’s best stars will be difficult. “Test cricket is still the hold for English players, I don’t see any time in the near future certainly where one of the Test players, certainly the centrally contracted players, will say ‘by the way I’m going off to America for three weeks,” Key said. That won’t happen. That’s not a threat now. White-ball cricketers are distinct.”

You could construct windows where people agree to not play international cricket during a T20 competition. It’s doable if everyone compromises.”
FICA executive chairman Heath Mills
There will also be practical challenges, such as navigating league draft and auction systems, wage restrictions, and retention laws. Indian players, the game’s biggest draws, will not be available to any league other than the IPL due to the BCCI’s refusal to provide NOCs (No-Objection Certificates). The ECB CEO, Richard Gould, has stated that foreign players should be paid more.

“We’ll pay them more,” Gould added. “That’s probably going to be based on appearance money rather than the central-contract element because I think that gives us the most cost-effective means of dealing with any given competitive tournament at that moment.

We must compete in the global player market to attract men and women to play for England and in our domestic championships. To keep them, we need financial strength.

I think people put a lot of significance on playing for England, and we’re grateful for their dedication. But we need to make sure we can pay the going rate, and having come back from football, I know player markets very well, so we need to compete in the global player market. “The global player market changes monthly depending on competition.” FICA has long advocated for a cricket calendar rationalization, stating that the excess of international bilateral cricket, ICC events, and T20 leagues forces the greatest players to choose and prioritize where and when they play. Last year’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) was criticized by Mills. Each board organizes its bilateral program and T20 competition individually. Everyone wants the best for himself. They also want top players to improve their international and T20 teams. The top players can’t be everywhere at once.

While we have an agreement where everyone does their own schedule, we will have this collision of T20 leagues and international cricket every month. Boards and leagues are self-destructing. That’s confusing.”

Mills proposed three T20 league periods each year to avoid international cricket clashes.

One possibility boards have is to agree to include T20 leagues in its bilateral program and provide windows for them. In April-May for IPL, January-February for southern hemisphere T20 competitions, and September before an ICC event.

You could construct windows where people agree to not play international cricket during a T20 competition. It’s doable if everyone compromises. Until then, collisions will compel players to choose. Unfortunately, bilateral cricket may lose.”