After buying stakes in several franchise cricket leagues around the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners have now set their eyes on occupying players with full-time yearly contracts.
According to The Times, IPL franchises have approached at least six England players with a full-time yearly deal. These six players include international stars too who are part of the ongoing IPL season 16.
The full-time yearly contracts will make the English players employee of Indian franchises rather than the ECB or English counties.
Currently, IPL franchises have their teams in the T20 tournaments of UAE, South Africa, the Caribbean and the USA's Major League (scheduled to start this year).
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's cricket authorities are also interested in launching the world's biggest cricket league, according to several reports. Reportedly, the Saudi government is in talks with the owners of the IPL to set up a lucrative new competition.
If players and their unions show interest in full-time yearly contracts, then soon cricket will step towards the world's football model.
As reported, the contracts, which will be offered, could be worth upwards of £2 million a year and even as high as £5 million — more than five times the value of the highest England central contracts.
Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, addressed this matter last week and hinted towards a raise in match fees of England players alongside offering some players multi-year contracts.