Growing domestic talent and a BCCI monopoly; is it time to change the way the game is played?

Indian cricket's recent domination and its board's strong-arming of world cricket raises the opportunity of a full time franchise model- changing the way cricket is played year-round.

03/05/2021

Ravin Batra

The Indian cricket team's victory against Australia in their four match test series this last winter was significant on many levels. Not only was this the nation's second ever victory on Australian shores, it was also one that came under extraordinary circumstances. Subject to 14 days of quarantine on arrival and subsequently a 24x7 bio secure bubble, captain Virat Kohli returned home after the first test to witness the birth of his first child. The now Ajinkya Rahane led team was also left without the services of injured leading fast bowler Mohammed Shami and went on to lose Umesh Yadav (mid way through second test), Ravindra Jadeja (post second test), KL Rahul (before third test), Hanuman Vihari (post third test), Ravichandran Ashwin (post third test) and Jasprit Bumrah (post third test) along the way. With the series tied at 1-1 headed into the fourth test at the Gabba (a venue the hosts hadn’t lost at in the last 32 years) an admittedly third string Indian side took the field and managed to pull off an astonishing 328 run fourth innings chase to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

While it may have come as a surprise to many international viewers that a team so inexperienced was able to conquer one of the most fierce oppositions in the world in their own backyard, this new crop of players are no strangers to Indian audiences. Credit has to be given to Rahul Dravid and the India A and Under-19 program which nurtures fringe players with multiple series’ against quality opposition in both India and abroad so that once they make the step to the highest level they are comfortable adjusting to conditions. However, the sheer confidence, resilience and nonchalance with which this squad conducted themselves is a clear byproduct of the 10 week annual circus that is the Indian Premier League.

The Indian Cricket Team celebrates with the Border-Gavaskar trophy at the Gabba

The IPL was launched in 2008 as India’s first recognised cricket league wherein 8 franchises (that have adopted 8 different cities) compete in a 14 match league stage followed by playoffs to be crowned champions for the season. Each team is allowed up to 4 overseas players in their playing XI and requires at least one uncapped (player who hasn’t represented his country) domestic player to take the field. In what was a first of its kind for cricket, young first-class players found themselves sharing a dressing room, practicing in the nets, commuting to and from hotels and travelling the country with the nation's and the world’s biggest stars. Spending so much time with these experienced athletes allowed for young up and coming players to pick up on certain playing techniques, analyse how the stars prepare for big games and reach a general level of comfort around them. This was bound to work wonders for their personal development. Over the course of the last 13 years, players like Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane and Jasprit Bumarh made their debut for the national team after strong performances in the IPL. By 2019 players such as Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan were already household names before they made their national debut. Hence it shouldn't come as a surprise that when these kinds of players, who are third in line for a place in the national team, do in fact make their debut- are not nervous and do not need time to acclimatise. They have already faced the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins and played alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They have played in Australia and England and gotten used to spending long periods of time away from home. Thanks to the IPL, Indian debutants are so well groomed that it should really be expected that they stand up and take the world by storm. And that is what we saw in Australia, especially at the Gabba.

The last few years has also seen the rise of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The BCCI is the governing body for cricket in India and falls under the jurisdiction of the Government of India. Given India’s standing in the world game, the board is extremely well funded and run by some of the most powerful politicians in the country alongside former legends of the game. In 2014, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that they were changing their profit redistribution structure among its members (BCCI and other boards representing a cricket playing nation). Previously the ICC would distribute 75% of its monetary surplus equally among the 10 members, however, halfway through 2014 they decided to distribute it proportionally based on who earns the most. The BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA) and the England Cricket Board (ECB) accounted for over 90% of the ICC’s revenue at the time with the BCCI alone accounting for close to 80%. Recognising this, the “Big 3” as they were then termed launched a “takeover” of the ICC which saw them organise more bilateral series’ amongst each other as well as bag the hosting rights for every single ICC tournament from 2015-2027. This takeover meant that poorer boards would get even less funding as less cricket is being played in their country.

File photo of the BCCI headquarters, outside Wankhede Stadium

Soon enough, the BCCI realised its true power and started to throw around its weight. 2019 was the first year that saw no international cricket in the months of April and May. In order to avoid clashes with the IPL, the BCCI managed to negotiate a 10 week window where no international cricket would be played, to ensure full player availability for the IPL. This is expected to continue annually. Just last month, the 2021 IPL was forced to be suspended due to the dire state of the second wave of covid-19 in the nation. Desperate to finish the tournament this year, the BCCI has reportedly requested a rescheduling of the English summer of cricket to incorporate the remainder of the season in September. And while the BCCI continues to flex its muscles, other international boards are on the verge of bankruptcy. Operating under 4 CEOs in the last three years, Cricket South Africa had already started to lose sponsors for their team's jersey and host games in 2019. Towards the end of that year, the board started to hold back payments to its national players as they continued to struggle financially. Superstar players such as AB Devilliers and Faf Du Plessis have announced their retirement from the international game, but continue to play franchise cricket around the world as that is assumingly a better option for them financially. Recently stepped down CEO and former captain Greame Smith is said to have negotiated a bumper bilateral series with India later this year, however the continued presence of the covid-19 pandemic casts doubt over its occurrence and puts the board at risk of bankruptcy. Similarly, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have all run through their contracts with their respective broadcast partners and with covid placing a significant degree of uncertainty on whether these teams will even play international cricket in the near future, they are unlikely to sign new deals any time soon.

The covid-19 pandemic has clearly highlighted the fact that cricket has turned into a three player sport, if not a one player monopoly. The BCCI ($535 million during FY20) earns more than the ICC ($139 million during FY20) itself. Two thirds of the BCCI’s yearly income comes from the 10 weeks that make up the IPL season. Perhaps this is a sign that we need to change the way cricket is played.

Almost every other major sport, be it football, basketball, baseball or formula 1, is dominated by franchise based leagues. The English Premier League, for example, sees players from 63 different nations playing across 20 teams for 38 matches a season. A regular season lasts close to 10 months, with the sport’s governing body fitting in international games midseason and bigger international tournaments such as world cups and continental championships during the European premier leagues’ off seasons. Each franchise or club generates revenue through sponsorships, ticket sales, player transfers, prize money, merchandise and new ownership. The league itself profits off TV rights which are rescinded by the individual teams. A majority of this money is put back into the game through channels such as coaching, development, infrastructure and other factors crucial to creating a platform for some of the best quality global sport that is put on show. Fans are able to spend multiple hours every weekend either going down to the nearby stadium or sitting in front of the television with family and friends enjoying a good meal and taking in some of the action. This culture has become so ingrained in millions of people that it has become a way of life. This “way of life” is what is missing in cricket.

Fans walk toward Wembley Stadium to watch a Premier League game

The IPL is already a very successful sporting league. Official broadcaster Star Sports holds the broadcasting rights for which it paid a whopping $5 billion in 2018. This deal played a large part in ensuring that the covid-hit 2020 season remained profitable at $548 million. Sky Sports for reference, just recently bagged the rights for the premier league at $7.2 billion. Five time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians are valued at $111 million and earned north of $2 million in 2020 in sponsorships alone. The team has also launched a foundation which supports education and encourages sports amongst underprivileged and specially-abled children.

While IPL already has the makings of one of the most successful sporting leagues, it would still be far-fetched to claim that it has created the same culture as other major sporting leagues around the world. Compressed into 10 weeks of daily action, fans wait all year to throng stadiums, that too which they only get to do for 7 home games, oftentimes on working nights. Stadiums themselves are run down with broken seats, smelly toilets, inaccessible parking/transport and untrained food vendors dampening what is otherwise a unique, thrilling experience. While the teams are getting richer, the sport’s grassroots program is still run by underfunded state associations that witness consistent age-fudging and crowding out. Nevertheless, the IPL has proven to be host to the best quality cricket played around the globe. India’s victory against Australia shows that up and coming players in the IPL are on par with the best cricketers in the world. The league consists of players from 11 different nations and there are only 10 nations that play test cricket. For a sport that is struggling to grow globally, clearly this is the way forward.

Mumbai Indians captain, Rohit Sharma, takes a selfie with children from the team’s Education For All Foundation

In the event that the IPL does become the dominant feature of the cricket calendar- marquee international tournaments such as world cups and “Big 3” bilateral series’ would obviously have to be fitted in. As much as people can gravitate towards a club, nothing quite beats the emotion of cheering on your country. The notion of keeping test cricket alive is also something that would have to be factored in and Australia and England would not be blamed for requesting a small block to host their relatively successful summers of cricket. Expanding the IPL into a full fledged season long tournament not only facilitates extended periods of high quality cricket, it also allows for growth in all other aspects of the game. As franchises grow larger, attract more sponsors, gain greater funding, make money off transfers and sell more tickets and merchandise- more money will be put back into bettering in-stadia experiences and youth development programs. International viewers are more likely to tune in to the highest quality format of the game and as players from different countries start to make their debut, they have the potential to grow the game in their own nation, potentially increasing the quality of international tournaments (i.e- world cups) in the future.

A full fledged franchise based league is clearly the way forward. For the betterment of the players. For the betterment of the fans. For the betterment of the game.