The International Cricket Council (ICC) has formed a committee to oversee the management of franchise cricket.
The committee was formed at the ICC Board Meeting held over the past weekend in Ahmedabad, on the sidelines of the IPL 2026 final.
Representatives of all member boards attended the meeting, with some of them joining virtually. This meeting was originally to be conducted in Doha towards the end of March, but had to be postponed due to the war in West Asia.
IPL springs franchise cricket revolution
Since the BCCI introduced the Indian Premier League in 2008, every other cricketing country has established a league of its own.
Now, the franchise leagues have mostly come into direct conflict with international cricket, except for the IPL. This situation has gotten many stakeholders worried about the future of international cricket.
With franchise leagues mushrooming in every part of the world, more and more players are choosing the financially lucrative option of playing in these leagues rather than being consistently available for their countries.
Some like Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, and even Quinton de Kock at one time chose to retire from international cricket altogether.
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New ICC Committee to “harmonize” the franchise calendar
In a statement released by the ICC to the press, the board said that the new committee would work on making sure that franchise and international cricket can co-exist.
“The Board expressed concern regarding the growing expanse of franchise cricket and resolved to form a committee to assess harmonisation of franchise cricket with the international calendar within the current structure,” the statement said.
It is not currently known how many members would be part of the committee or who would head it.
International vs Franchise cricket in the current ecosystem
In the past, many people have suggested the formation of designated blocks for Test and franchise cricket. Essentially, the year would be split into two blocks, with one block exclusively designated for Test cricket and the other for franchise cricket.
The proliferation of franchise cricket has harmed both Test and ODI cricket so far. With franchise leagues offering a higher amount of money, many national cricket boards are unable to compete with the salaries provided by these leagues.
The West Indies team is the greatest example of this, as they lost a host of players to the franchise ecosystem, especially after building a dynasty in the early-to-mid 2010s that became the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice.
The club vs country debate keeps tearing the cricket-watching community into two. Most recently, England’s Jofra Archer came under fire for choosing to honour his IPL commitments with the Rajasthan Royals over preparing for England’s Test matches against New Zealand in early June.
Archer’s national teammate, Jacob Bethell too faced some vitriol. Bethell was criticised for warming the benches for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru instead of coming back to England and playing in the County Championship, especially after becoming England’s first-choice No. 3
The ICC’s newest efforts are the first time that the global body has set out to do something to try to settle the problem.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah said, “Our discussions in Ahmedabad have reinforced the ICC’s commitment to governance, administration, and the growth of cricket globally. From women’s cricket and emerging nations to the management of franchise competitions, today’s discussions and decisions aim to ensure that cricket remains fair, competitive, and exciting for fans worldwide.”
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