With the increasing number of franchise cricket leagues worldwide, there has been a growing prediction among fans and cricket experts of the international game's gradual demise, drawing parallels to the dominance of European leagues in football. An initial indication of this shift occurred when Jason Roy chose to forego his contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board, instead accepting a lucrative offer from the USA's Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise, LA Knight Riders. To address concerns, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to implement two significant rules applicable to franchise leagues globally.


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As reported by The Telegraph, the ICC intends to adopt the Indian Premier League's policy, allowing only four overseas players to participate in the playing XI. Additionally, franchisees will be required to pay a certain fee to their respective national boards for each signed player.


The implementation of the four-player per franchise rule is a response to the International League T20 (ILT20) held in the United Arab Emirates, which permitted nine overseas players in the starting XI. The report indicates that a rumoured T20 league in Saudi Arabia would adopt a similar format. However, this rule mitigates the risk of players abandoning their national contracts to play in T20 franchise leagues.


According to the report, each franchise must allocate at least 10 per cent of the player's fees to their respective national board, serving as a significant source of income for the cricket board. This regulation mirrors the rule established in the Indian Premier League.


Expressing concerns over franchise cricket's potential dominance over the international game, ECB chief Lan Gould stated, "The difficulty for ECB and our revenues is that we have so many mouths to feed, whereas the franchise tournaments can take the cream off the top, they don't get charged for the players." Gould conveyed his thoughts on The Final Word Cricket Podcast this month, highlighting the efficiency of franchise models in benefiting players financially but acknowledging the need to fund the pathway for long-term success.


"We need to fund the pathway. We will always do that. Having a really strong, healthy pathway is the secret to long-term success," Gould added.