Australian cricketers reportedly targeted by Indian Premier League franchises

AUSTRALIAN cricketers have reportedly been approached by Indian Premier League franchises with multi-club deals worth AU$7.5 million in a move that could redefine international cricket.

According to The Age, IPL conglomerates that have purchased T20 franchises from around the world are actively pursuing Australia’s senior cricketers with lucrative deals to join multiple tournaments.

It marks a significant shift in the cricket landscape, where the world’s best cricketers could soon become dependent on clubs for their primary source of income, rather than their country.For example, Red Chillies Entertainment, majority stakeholders of the Kolkata Knight Riders, also owns the CPL’s Trinbago Knight Riders, the ILT20’s Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and the newly-founded Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket.The next phase of the IPL revolution involves Australian players, especially those nearing retirement, denying Cricket Australia contracts in favour of high-paying deals with Indian conglomerates, plying their trade in multiple T20 tournaments on a 12-month deals.

After last year’s mind-boggling $9.5 billion broadcast deal, IPL franchises eagerly await to see whether the Board of Control for Cricket will increase the competition’s salary cap, creating a greater incentive for international talent.

Australian cricketers are unlikely to take the plunge in the next 12-24 months due to conflicting recruitment regulations and the upcoming World Cups, but these multi-tournament deals could revolutionise the global cricket economy in the near future.

“These opportunities are huge and they are popping up more and more often,” Australian captain Pat Cummins said last year.

“I think it’s just us as a sport in Australia to make sure that we’ve got a really strong vision of what we want Australian cricket to look like for the next five, ten years … because these things are going to keep popping up, so get on the front foot, be proactive.

“We all want to keep Australian cricket as number one, so how can we manage all these different competing interests to try and keep it that way?

“Playing for your country, international cricket at the moment is still number one for just about everyone, especially here in Australia, but we can’t just take that for granted.

“We’ve got to make sure that it remains that way, and that’s in scheduling and in payment and in vision of just what it means to be an Aussie cricketer.”

Last week, a new five-year MOU between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association was announced, with up to 24 men’s players eligible to be contracted.

The average value of a CA men’s contract has increased to $951,000 annually plus match payments, with that figure expected to exceed $1 million in 2027/28.

However, the lure of 12-month deals with IPL franchises worth up to $7.5 million could become difficult to ignore.

“I‘ve got a little bit of scaredness about what’s going to happen in the next five to ten years, where cricket is actually heading,” Warner said earlier this year.

“I‘d love for guys coming through to play red-ball cricket and play Test cricket because that’s the legacy that you should want to leave behind. Playing in the Test arena is amazing … it’s a true test of cricket and how well you measure up to the greats of the game.

“At the end of the day, everything comes with financial reward. If you aspire to get a central contract, you‘re going to be rewarded. I think guys see the short-term at the moment with all the leagues and stuff around.

“The best way to get value for your currency is actually making a name for yourself. There‘s only been a small minority of people who have been able to do that and have a long career. So you want to aspire to play cricket for Australia, and you’re only going to get there by putting numbers on the board.”

Cricket boards in England, India and Australia are well-positioned to retain their best talent, but the same can’t be said for other Test-playing nations.

Last year, New Zealand stars Trent Boult and Martin Guptill were released from their national contracts in a landmark deal to focus on T20 franchise cricket.

The Blacks Caps recently played a multi-format against Sri Lanka on home soil while Boult plied his trade for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.Meanwhile, England superstar Ben Stokes retired from ODI cricket last year to focus on the other formats – he’s currently representing the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, but will miss this year’s World Cup in India.

“I think realistically more and more people are going to go down that route for a variety of reasons, so I think we have to be conscious of that,” Cummins told News Corp last year.

“On some occasions, you want your Aussie players playing big tournaments even if it means missing a format.

“I think you’ll see a lot more flexibility around that over the years — how it exactly plays out, I don’t know.

“We all prioritise playing for Australia at the moment, it’s what we absolutely love doing, but realistically there are a lot of other opportunities out there which sometimes clash.”

As part of the new MOU, the Big Bash League’s annual Total Payment Pool has increased from $2 million to $3 million per team to ensure CA retains high-quality players for the T20 competition, who can now earn up to $420,000 annually.

Last summer, Adelaide Strikers powerhouse Chris Lynn left the tournament early to make a cameo appearance in the ILT20, with South Africa’s SA20 competition also threatening to poach players.

Meanwhile, despite concerns about workload management ahead of the Ashes, young all-rounder Cameron Green was granted permission to enter the IPL Auction, with the Mumbai Indians snapping up the Australian for a cool $3.15 million.

Regardless, in the same way LIV Golf has changed the golfing landscape, cricket seems destined for a drastic shake-up over the coming years.

“It’s imminent and it’s happening,” Australian player agent Neil Maxwell told The Age.

“Very soon players will be asking for non-objection certificates from their clubs because some are already signing all-encompassing contracts with them.

“The best Australian players who consistently rank as the best in the world for a number of years will earn about US$1.5 million from Australian cricket, playing 12 months of the year to achieve that. The maths don’t work.”—