Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has expressed concern about the potential risks of IPL franchises investing in other global leagues. He warns that such developments might shift players’ loyalties more toward their franchises than their national teams.
Recently, IPL franchises have shown interest in teams from The Hundred. Reports suggest that the GMR Group, which owns the Delhi Capitals IPL team, is considering buying a stake in the Southern Brave team in The Hundred. This move could pave the way for other IPL teams to make similar investments.
Ian Chappell issues big warning about IPL teams owning stakes in other T20 leagues
“The trend of successful companies having a greater say in the running of the game is increasing rapidly as IPL owners already own large stakes in T20 teams playing in the UAE, USA, South Africa, and the Caribbean. The shrewd owners are also starting to sign top-rated players to longer contracts and that should be a warning to cricket administrations,” Ian Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
“The better players could become beholden to an IPL owner rather than their own cricket board. That is when conflict of interest becomes a divisive issue,” he added.
Ian Chappell blames cricket administrators
Ian Chappell further put the blame on cricket administrators for lacking a blueprint for how the game will be run in the future and not predicting the repercussions. He believes that if the administrators had a particular plan, this issue could have been dealt a lot better.
“This isn’t a surprise as the game in most countries desperately needs money and the IPL owners are financially flush. Cricket administrators must accept the blame for not producing a long-term blueprint for the game a couple of decades ago,” Chappell wrote in the column.
“That way they could at least have had a viable plan for the game to deal with this issue. That is unless cricket administrators worldwide are convinced the future is purely the T20 game run by rich franchises,” he further added.
IPL franchises in various T20 leagues
In the cricketing world, IPL franchises have expanded their reach into several leading T20 leagues globally. They have acquired teams in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Major League Cricket (MLC), SA20 league, and the UAE.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is currently in discussions with IPL franchises regarding their stake in The Hundred teams. The ECB has proposed a model where 51% of the stake would be held by the eight host entities of The Hundred. These hosts include seven counties, with the exception of London Spirit, which is linked to Marylebone Cricket Club.
On the other hand, IPL franchises are seeking a larger share, aiming for a 51% stake in their respective teams to exert greater control.
