IPL deserves an exclusive window
Columnist By David Lord, 28 Apr 2012 David Lord is a Roar Expert
Rajasthan Royals bowler Shane Warne appeals unsuccessfully for a wicket during an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors in Jaipur, India, Sunday, May 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)
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One of the briefs of the International Cricket Council, the sports’ governing body, is to “position itself and be empowered to promote, develop, and act in the best interests of the international game as a whole”.
We all know that’s what it’s supposed to so, but rarely does.
The perfect case in point is the highly-successful Indian Premier League – a cash cow of massive proportions.
Whether cricket fans worldwide like or dislike the Twenty20 format, it’s here to stay, with the IPL the premier tournament.
But it needs a window on the international calendar that is international cricket free. The tournament deserves that standing.
It also deserves to have the very best cricketers in the world available for the entire seven-week schedule.
And the majority want to play, not like the six Australians, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Mike Hussey, David Warner, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Ryan Harris, who had to play in the Caribbean until last night where they wrapped up the series 2-nil.
They travel to India later today.
On the other side of the coin, the Windies were without the dynamic Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, and Marlon Samuels, who chose to play IPL rather than for the Frank Worrell Trophy.
That said, India runs international cricket by generating 75% of the ICC’s income, and its chairman is Indian Sharad Pawar.
He can always count on voting support from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the West Indies which begs the question why hasn’t there been an exclusive IPL window, nor even talked about it?
Even stranger, Pawar hasn’t made a move that would shore up the IPL forever in his own country.
Yet the ICC has already decided the IPL will be allowed to increase their teams from the current nine to 14 by 2014. That decision will only choke the IPL even further without an exclusive window.
The other plus for an IPL window? Those internationals who chose to miss the IPL, or miss out on selection, will be able to spend nearly two months at home.
And with the international calendar so full with Tests, 50-overs, and Twenty20s those cricketers would relish such a long break which would allow niggly injuries to heal, and prolong careers.
There isn’t a negative in an IPL window.
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April 28th 2012 @ 7:18am
Garfield Robinson said | April 28th 2012 @ 7:18am | Report comment
What happens when other T20 leagues demand to be treated like the IPL if they get a window. It is possible that other leagues could grow to rival the IPL. Will they be given windows also?
April 28th 2012 @ 9:59am
Damo said | April 28th 2012 @ 9:59am | Report comment
That’s never going to happen because only India can generate the type of money the IPL pays out.
April 28th 2012 @ 11:43am
Timmuh said | April 28th 2012 @ 11:43am | Report comment
Garfield’s question is mine as well. Its a domestic tournament which draws international players. Should the same be done for the T20 leagues in every Test nation? Why should money be enough to make the IPL more important to the international calendar than every other league? Why should the ICC give special concessions to a league that doesn’t invite all players (Pakistanis)?
There is a case due to players, particularly of the poorer nations who don’t pay their player big wages, being forced to choose – and then the money talks; but so van the money from the South African, Australian and English leagues. Should roughly 20 weeks a year set aside for T20 windows? The IPL is the largest paying, and therefore the most problematic in terms of conflicting with internationals, of the leagues but its not the only one.
The case for any league being given a window and not other leagues would be much stronger if a large slice of that league’s money was going to help fund the financially weaker Test nations and to assist the Associates and Affiliates.
As things stand, nations themselves can decide not to play internationals over that period if they suspect thy will lose a large slice of their teams. That the West Indies chose to play a series over that time is a concern, given they do not have the money to retain their own players. (I confess to ignorance, as to whether the West Indies available months for home series are limited by seasonal factos such as hurricanes, etc.)
April 28th 2012 @ 8:05am
Robert said | April 28th 2012 @ 8:05am | Report comment
I echo your sentiments Garfield.Mind you,i didnt know the IPL was on.Obviously the hype from the first season has been killed off and thankfully nobody is too concerned in Australia that its not shoved down our throats on tv
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April 28th 2012 @ 12:02pm
Blaze said | April 28th 2012 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
Being on a digital channel wasn’t nessicarily being shoved down our throats.. I’m actually disappointed that I dont get the option to watch our Aussies in action… Not even on foxtel.
April 29th 2012 @ 9:09pm
Lolly said | April 29th 2012 @ 9:09pm | Report comment
You might be able to watch it on youtube through one of the indian newspapers’ sites. I can’t remember which one but the live stream they do is excellent.
April 28th 2012 @ 11:40am
Morning Son said | April 28th 2012 @ 11:40am | Report comment
Well, the ICC has already released its future tours program. I am looking at it right now. All cricket fixtures have been listed up until 2020.
We play an Ashes series in 2013 (England), 2013/14 (Australia), 2015 (England), 2017/18 (Australia), 2019 (England).
So we basically have an extra Ashes series then we would have if the fixturing at stayed as it normally was.
England would have toured Australia in 2014/15 and then we would have toured England in 2017.
The IPL window is impossible – the fixturing list is already decided.
People have to remember that outside of England and Australia, and possibly South Africa. Cricket players are relatively poorly paid. Indian players get a lot of money from endorsements.
Players from the smaller nations, like the West Indies and Sri Lanka, will always lean towards playing in the IPL rather than playing for their country. The money is better. I’d do the same.
April 28th 2012 @ 12:15pm
Timmuh said | April 28th 2012 @ 12:15pm | Report comment
No nation has ever stuck to the future tours program sice it was first introduced. Australia, India, England all drop their series with Zimbabwe and Bangladesh on a whim with regularity and other series get moved, added (especially pointless limited overs tours involving India), etc all the time. The FTP is a guideline that’s usually well out of date before its announced.
April 28th 2012 @ 1:00pm
Morning Son said | April 28th 2012 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
So you think Australia are going to drop an Ashes series or England?
Fact is, you are not going to be able to have an ipl window.
April 28th 2012 @ 1:16pm
Timmuh said | April 28th 2012 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
No, I don’t think an Ashes series is lkely to be dropped – but there are other tours in world cricket; and many of those are subject to the whim of various boards.
You could have an IPL window, I just don’t think its a good idea – and nothing can be judged from the FTP unless the ICC is granted the power to actually enforce it, a notion none of the rich nations will ever support.
April 28th 2012 @ 12:08pm
Ian Whitchurch said | April 28th 2012 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
If the IPL gets this, will the BCCI split the money ?
April 28th 2012 @ 12:25pm
sheek said | April 28th 2012 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
Good morning David,
My head says I should agree with you, but oh dear, there are a few problems here for me.
1. I don’t care for T20 cricket.
2. I certainly don’t care about the IPL.
So there, I’ve drawn my line in the sand & call me “dinosaur” but I’ll ignore any ridicule that comes my way from Gen X & Gen Y.
‘They’ say you can’t stop progress, but I also like to think progress should have some reasoned wisdom behind it other than another tasteless opportunity to make a bucketload of cash.
April 28th 2012 @ 2:59pm
Disco said | April 28th 2012 @ 2:59pm | Report comment
Agreed.
April 28th 2012 @ 4:34pm
Brian said | April 28th 2012 @ 4:34pm | Report comment
It would be logical. More so if in exchange for a long IPL exclusive window the BCCI would give up some scheduling power over the rest of the year so all boards could give more control to the ICC.
Fantasyland stuff though when your talking about the BCCI, ECB and CA etc
April 28th 2012 @ 4:57pm
Nate Hornblower said | April 28th 2012 @ 4:57pm | Report comment
Shouldn’t the WICB get their act together, perhaps that would ensure their players are playing in the Frank Worrell trophy and other test cricket as opposed to the IPL if they signed their players to agreeable contracts.
The other guy from the Windies not mentioned is young spinner Sunil Narine. He is also not contracted to the WICB and chose to play in the IPL. On those bunsen burner pitches, he would have been a serious handful, I doubt the series is a 2-0 canter for us if he plays.
April 28th 2012 @ 8:44pm
Ian Whitchurch said | April 28th 2012 @ 8:44pm | Report comment
Nate,
You’re clearly unaware of just how little money the WICB have, and therefore how little power they have over their players, and just how much money first clas competitions lose.
Dwayne Bravo and so on refused to sign a WICB central contract last year, and doesnt have one this year.
They can still make a decent living, so there is no need to play Test cricket.
And while the scum – the BCCI, the ACB, the ECB and SACB – prefer to tour each other and not share the TV money with the rest, this problem will continue.
April 28th 2012 @ 6:28pm
Rhys said | April 28th 2012 @ 6:28pm | Report comment
I don’t really support the idea of a window for the IPL, mainly because it has limited appeal outside of India. I do think a window should be given for the Champions League, which features the top T20 sides from the major domestic comps around the world.
April 29th 2012 @ 4:39am
peeeko said | April 29th 2012 @ 4:39am | Report comment
The windies proved to be tough opposition on the just completed tour, with the addition of the four IPL players they may have won
April 29th 2012 @ 9:29am
Russ said | April 29th 2012 @ 9:29am | Report comment
The Champions League already has a window, and the IPL practically does – only the West Indies tourists and whoever England mugs on early season pitches. It is a window carved out by market power and the inability of other boards to match wages though, which is the worst possible method of creating it. The IPL is not even well scheduled, it is too late in the year and the weather is oppressive in many parts of India by its conclusion
Creating a window – in fact, several – is a good idea though. Test cricket shouldn’t have to compete with T20 domestic cricket for players. FIFA doesn’t let make World Cup teams compete for players with domestic competitions. The fact that many players earn almost nothing for playing internationals is also irrelevant. But the window ought to be for all domestic T20 competitions, fixed at two points in the year – the northern competition and the southern.
Because obviously other nations will be (and have been) opposed to an IPL specific window, without one of their own. And yet, a window for T20 competition to ensure international players are available is a no-brainer, if it is driving profits.