Proposal for English IPL-style event

[The Outsider]

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/360764.html

Taking a cue from the success of the IPL, English cricket could have a high-profile franchise-based Twenty20 tournament as a part of its domestic season in a couple of years. Three English counties and the MCC have drawn up a blueprint for a £50million Twenty20 tournament to rival the IPL, involving nine franchise-based teams at grounds that stage international matches in England. The plans, which are expected to be presented at an ECB board meeting next week, were prepared by Keith Bradshaw, the MCC chief executive, and David Stewart, the Surrey chairman, and have reportedly been approved by Lancashire and Hampshire as well. The ECB, however, has played down this suggestion, though Giles Clarke, its chairman, hinted at a discussion in the board meeting. In a joint statement, Bradshaw and Stewart said that they regretted that details of the proposal had reached the media before they had had a chance to present them to the ECB Board at their meeting on July 15, but did not apologise for the radical ideas that had been put forward in the discussion paper. "We decided to respond to the ECB's request for further ideas about Twenty20, which the ECB made on May 7," read the statement. "We make no apologies for preparing this board discussion paper, as we strongly believe that the idea of an English Twenty20 tournament, taking the best from the Indian Premier League and combining it with the strengths of the English game, is worthy of considerable debate and discussion." The proposed tournament will contain 57 matches over 25 days at Lord's, The Oval, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Headingley, Old Trafford, the Rose Bowl, Chester-le-Street and Cardiff. It has been earmarked for June and July 2010. The plan promises revenue for the clubs outside the nine venues as well as investment at grass-root level. The Daily Echo said the proposal suggested replacing the existing Pro40 tournament, and that projected earnings could be as high as £850m over ten years, a figure large enough to compensate counties for the loss of the Pro40. "We are naturally disappointed that the paper has leaked before the ECB Board can discuss it on July 15 ... but we welcome the debate that will now take place," the statement continued. "There has already been speculation about whether such a tournament can generate extra revenue for cricket. We are aware of significant interest from potential financial backers and are confident that a tournament, along the lines we set out in the paper, can generate considerable revenues for all 18 counties and the grass-roots of the game." Further details suggest the proposed tournament will include an IPL-style bidding process, a salary cap and a ruling on the number of English youngsters who have to play. It's reported that a squad would need to have 12 home-grown players, including three under 23, and must be within a budget of £1.5m. However, the most notable feature is the idea of city-based franchises, a departure from the current county set-up. The likes of Manchester would take on Birmingham instead of Lancashire playing Warwickshire. Hampshire, one of the counties backing the plans, said: "The intelligent and well-considered proposal for such a new Twenty20 competition has been prepared in response to ECB's recent invitation for submissions. The proposal demonstrates significant benefits for all stakeholders in English cricket, with minimal disruption to the traditional domestic structure. Hampshire fully supports the proposal. "Hampshire understands that the proposal has been correctly submitted to the ECB board by two directors of that board, and cannot perceive of any reason why this should not be seriously considered along with any other validated submissions." Clarke told Test Match Special he wasn't involved with the proposal but suggested it could be discussed at the board meeting. "There has been a lot of debate and discussion over what is the most optimal format for the summer - what will generate the most money, what spectators want to watch, how it will help the England cricket team," he said. Clarke, though, wasn't in favour of a change from the present domestic structure. "I'm firmly in favour of 18 counties playing at their county grounds. I'm not remotely interested in the reduction of counties." This is the latest speculation surrounding English cricket's response to the IPL. There is talk of a ten-day window next April to allow contracted England stars to take part in the IPL, but the ECB have tried to ward off the threat of lucrative contracts by signing their five-year deal with Allen Stanford. It is widely accepted there will be an English version of the IPL in the near future, probably as soon as the new round of television contracts come into effect from 2010.

So for the top stars that's another one month eaten away in the cricketing calendar and there is every chance that Australia would start and will be able to sustain a similar league. With close to 4 months spent participating in leagues will the top stars have the enthusiasm and motivation to show up for test matches? I doubt it. Having said that it's good that England are cashing in on the cash cow - they deserve to after having started the concept of T20.

[theguyinallblue]

OK..i am not liking all these new developments...i do not want any competition to IPL....Not at least from ECB or CA... these two countries must not have any IPL type tournament of the magnitude of IPL... BCCI must get the official window for IPL...ASAP..in FTP... once IPL gets the official window in FTP... no other IPL type tournament can be successful...since not all stars of various countries will play in those tournaments.. i am sure...as shrewd a businessman Modi is...his mind must be working overtime...to crush any competition against IPL.. one more comforting factor is that...None of indian players will participate in these tournaments...even of they come up...and if no top shot indian player...not a single viewership from India or indian people... English board should learn to suppress their inflated Egos now..they don't stand a chance in front of BCCI..because they don't have the backing of millions of viewer ship ..even if they arrange sponsers and other infrastructures...

[The Outsider]

one more comforting factor is that...None of indian players will participate in these tournaments...even of they come up...and if no top shot indian player...not a single viewership from India or indian people...

Why won't Indian players participate in this? It's going to be played in a separate window from IPL and there is nothing stopping the English league from signing up Dhoni or Tendulkar. In fact it's the presence of Indian stars in the line up which is going to make the even popular in India as well.

[theguyinallblue]

i don't think there is enough wide windows to accommodate another 30 day tournament...when all major teams will be free..if IPL gets the official window...in FTP...then its more than certain that no other tournament can match the magnitude of IPL.. and frankly...one IPL type tournament is enough for Top End players.. and their is champions trophy as well.. others might have to contend with second rung players...and any such tournament with second rung players won't get much viewer ship....case in point ICL..

[The Outsider]

and frankly...one IPL type tournament is enough for Top End players.. and their is champions trophy as well..

When these players will be bid at hundreds of thousands of dollars for one month's work, I don't think anyone will back away from it. As I said in the OP, it's quite possible that some players are part of IPL, EPL, APL - play for 4 months in the year of millions of dollars and confine their priorities to these. England and Australia have the financial strength, structure, and following to successfully stage the events.

[cowboysfan]

yes I am sure a T20 tournament which starts AFTER the IPL has finished will be successful.It also has a smaller salary cap($3 mil),played in the dullest country in the world and there is a guarantee that more than 25% matches will be rained out.good luck.

[fineleg]

L. Modi has unleashed a monster, God save Test cricket. The Mumbai God won't since T20 gives more $$$, but may the real God save Tests.

[King Tendulkar]

L. Modi has unleashed a monster' date=' God save Test cricket. The Mumbai God won't since T20 gives more $$$, but may the real God save Tests.[/quote'] :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[arkay]

All the leagues IPL, EPL and APL are driven by the domestic success. In India, there is a huge success because there is a serious following of cricket by fans. EPL will have long legs only if they can generate the same income in the form of TV advt which would mean that Indian viewers would need to have the huge following. The Indian viewers would have interest only if many of the indian players participate in the league and is as widely played as IPL. Since Indian cricketers are having a lucrative contracts bcoz of IPL, they would demand huge money to participate in EPL. (Case in point: One of the counties could not afford Nehra because of his price tag) The concept of the league will certainly gain prominence if there are local sponsors who own the teams and run the show. But these sponsors would need to look for return on investments - which would need to come in the form of viewership (in ground and TV viewership).

[DomainK]

I think arkay makes a good point. 1. There isnt space for too many leagues given that the game is followed in a very limited number of countries. Therefore, PPL(Pakistan) EPL(England) and any other PL will have to do be planned and executed brilliantly well or they will be embarrassing themselves. 2. The one that gets the most commercial success will lead and the rest will have to feed on the leftovers (like ICL). The commercial success will entirely depend on demand and very clearly demand in India is much greater than the demand elsewhere. Therefore there will be bigger finance, bigger profits and bigger demand. Others will have to do exceptionally well to compete with IPL.

[Feed]

Players' union back 'exciting' EPL city plan Support for an English Premier League grew as the players' union described proposals for the radical tournament as "clear and exciting". More... Players' union back 'exciting' EPL city plan By Nick Hoult Last Updated: 12:50am BST 15/07/2008 Support for an English Premier League grew yesterday as the players' union described proposals for the radical tournament as "clear and exciting". Keith Bradshaw and David Stewart, the prime movers behind the scheme, will today attempt to convince an executive board meeting of the England and Wales Cricket Board that an EPL from 2010 is the way forward. Support: players are backing concept of EPL from 2010 They hope the board will agree for a full consultation process to take place during which investors will be publicly identified and the counties will learn what they will gain from an EPL. It is the battle to win hearts and minds around the country that will make or break Bradshaw's ground-breaking plan. One county source yesterday described an atmosphere of "fear and loathing" over a plan which will see the establishment of nine new franchises based at England's international grounds. Bradshaw and Stewart will be buoyed by words of support from the Professional Cricketers' Association, a body who represent players from all 18 counties. "I feel very positive after reading something that is clear and exciting," said Sean Morris, the chief executive of the PCA. "It identifies a lot of opportunities and not just for the nine teams but for the whole game. "It all makes sense completely. The issue will be how they generate the numbers and how it is distributed. If you can get the distribution right then it will be good for everybody." Emotions are running high ahead of today's meeting. Bradshaw and Stewart received a letter at the weekend from Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, in which they were asked to explain why they had broken boardroom confidence by issuing a public statement on Saturday about their plan. An ECB spokesman said: "It was a matter of protocol about issuing press statements." Clarke and Bradshaw cleared the air yesterday but there was one casualty. Jim Cumbes resigned as chairman of the chief executives' committee following accusations of a conflict of interest. Cumbes is the chief executive of Lancashire, one of the counties consulted by the authors of the EPL. There were charges of duplicity from his counterparts after the EPL was not mentioned at their meeting last week. "There is a lot of emotion around the proposal but myself and Giles are clear that it should be debated and it gets a proper airing," said Bradshaw. "Even though he has been quoted as saying he is not in favour of it he has shown as a good chairman he is happy for it to be put on the table." Bradshaw met with Lalit Modi yesterday, the commissioner of the Indian Premier League, and his support will be crucial. Sources in India suggest the Indian board will be more supportive of a tournament played over just 25 days - as proposed by Bradshaw - than one lasting the length of the summer. The presence of stars from the subcontinent will be a key bargaining tool when television rights deals in Asia are negotiated. But the plan's survival depends on support closer to home. "Part of the problem is one of ignorance about the document," said Cumbers. "It was meant to be put on the table as another aspect of the discussion. It doesn't actually have to hurt the smaller counties. It's just a question of distributing income. It's not dissimilar to the way Test money is distributed." The board meeting today will be shown market research conducted during the recent Twenty20 Cup, which supports the theory the public would rather watch matches on Friday nights. The results of the research, seen by The Daily Telegraph, do not touch on city-based franchises.

[SachDan]

L. Modi has unleashed a monster' date=' God save Test cricket. The Mumbai God won't since T20 gives more $$$, but may the real God save Tests.[/quote'] :-D

[Feed]

Elite EPL franchise plan crashes Although no official statement has been made to the media, it is reported that the ECB executive has rejected proposals for a nine-team elite Twenty20 competition. More... Counties win out as EPL franchise plan crashes By Nick Hoult Last Updated: 11:46pm BST 15/07/2008 English cricket last night shied away from a proposed Twenty20 English Premier League comprising nine new city franchises. An executive board meeting of the England and Wales Cricket Board is believed to have decided to back an EPL based on the 18 counties and two overseas teams, with one likely to be provided by Allen Stanford. Thwarted: Could Americans like Dave Checketts have been interested in the EPL? It is a serious blow to the campaign of Keith Bradshaw and David Stewart, the architects of a radical scheme to create an EPL consisting of new teams based at England's international grounds. The news came on the day one of the biggest investors in American sport backed Bradshaw's plan and announced an interest in funding a franchise-based EPL. Sports Capital Partners Worldwide, based on New York's Park Avenue, have held negotiations with the architects of the EPL and were interested in buying one of the nine franchises valued at £40 million each. Their interest does not extend to a county competition, though. The SCP group are owned by Dave Checketts, described by the New York Times as one of "America's consummate sports executives". His portfolio includes an ice hockey team, the St Louis Blues, and Real Salt Lake City, a Major League Soccer franchise. It is a sign of cricket's growing global presence. "It is certainly in our sweet spot," said Eric Gelfand, spokesman for SCP Worldwide. The success of the Indian Premier League has been noted by sports investors. Played over a six-week period and boasting the world's top players, the IPL was a huge hit in its first year. It is now down to Giles Clarke, ECB chairman, to prove he can deliver a similar tournament with more than twice the number of teams. "We are certainly very aware of what has happened in India," Gelfand said. "We had our tentacles out there and we kept our eye on what was going on. Cricket is one of those sports that has tremendous value. We [must] not just look within our own four walls. We have to look elsewhere and see if it benefits us."

[King]

This isn't anything new to be honest, it's already in place in England. Twenty20s has been played over the last 3 seasons in England involving overseas players. People these days get way too paranoid every time Twenty20 is mentioned.

[Sachinism]

ECB unveils new Twenty20 tournament The much-anticipated English Premier League will get underway in 2010, with two divisions made up of ten teams, after the ECB unveiled a radical shake-up of the domestic game following its board meeting at Lord's. In a unanimous decision, the format that has been agreed upon will involve all 18 first-class counties, plus two overseas sides to make up the numbers, with the matches to be played in the month of June. One of the teams will be provided by Allen Stanford and it is believed the other will be from India, with the winners of the IPL the likely choice. A separate Twenty20 League for the 18 counties will then take place, primarily on Friday nights in July and August, and will act as the qualifier for the Champions League. The current Pro40 competition will be scrapped to make way for the competition. "I am delighted that the board unanimously supported these creative proposals," said the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke. "I would like to congratulate everyone for their hard work and thank those who went to considerable time and trouble to produce documents for discussion. "We have already received enormous broadcast and sponsor interest from around the world which was reported to the board by the chief executive David Collier." The proposal that had been put forward by the MCC chief executive, Keith Bradshaw, and Surrey's chairman, David Stewart, for a nine-team league modelled on the Indian Premier League was rejected out of hand, although in a press release, Stewart threw his weight behind the new initiative. "These are extremely exciting and satisfying proposals for the future of domestic cricket in England and Wales," he said. "I am delighted to support them. "They incorporate some excellent ideas and Keith Bradshaw and I were delighted to be able to submit our ideas as part of the decision making process and to build on the robust structure proposed by the ECB as a result of detailed consultations undertaken." According to the ECB, the structure of the new league was decided upon following detailed market research in which spectators stated their desire to watch more Twenty20 cricket. Some of the funding ideas in Bradshaw and Stewart's plan were incorporated at the meeting. The board also agreed the 2010 season would include a single 50-over competition and 16 County Championship matches in a two-division structure. "We looked at the Schofield Report, which stated that we should be playing competitions that mirror international competitions," Clarke told Sky Sports News. "Spectators want to watch Twenty20 cricket on Friday nights, in the months of July, August and September, and the county championship in midweek. This is about giving the spectator what they want." David Smith, Leicestershire's chief executive, told Cricinfo he was "delighted" with the announcement. "The ECB has got it right," he said. "It has maintained 16 four-day games which I think is sacrosanct for the development of Test cricket. We also needed a bit more Twenty20 and an EPL is an exciting prospect. It was obvious that one of the competitions had to go."

[Feed]

New English EPL to start in 2010 new English Premier League cricket competition involving all 18 counties, two overseas teams and international players will start in 2010, More... English EPL to start in 2010 Jul 17, 2008 A new English Premier League (EPL) cricket competition involving all 18 counties, two overseas teams and international players will start in 2010, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Thursday. The proposed EPL, which will be staged in June, follows the multi-million dollar launch of the Indian Premier League which started in April. There will also be a new Twenty20 League played on Friday and Saturday nights in July and August to replace the current Pro40 competition played on a Sunday. The new domestic Twenty20 competition will only comprise the 18 counties and not feature any additional overseas players but will serve as the qualifying competition for cricket's Champions League involving top teams from around the world. Board chairman Giles Clarke told Sky Sports News that it had not yet been decided which overseas teams would be involved, but that it was unlikely they would be either Indian or Pakistani teams as they compete in the Indian Premier League. "We do not expect the other teams to be Indian or Pakistani. They could be Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, who knows? "The important thing is, it's going to be a very high standard competition, a very exciting competition. Most money "There is no doubt from all the detailed, exhaustive research we have done, we will provide what the spectators want, when they want it. "We have sat down with broadcasters around the world to see what they would pay the most money for. We have looked at the right thing for our game in this country and we move forward on that basis." In a statement, the ECB said the timetable and the format of the competition had been agreed by the board after detailed market research which clearly "demonstrated a spectator desire to watch more Twenty20 cricket in July and August. "The EPL will be staged in June with the Twenty20 League being played in July, August and September and involving five home matches for each team." Although the ECB rejected a controversial plan by Surrey county chairman David Stewart and Marylebone Cricket Club chairman Keith Bradshaw to have a competition which did not include all the counties, it did incorporate some of their funding proposals. Stewart said in the ECB statement: "These are extremely exciting and satisfying proposals for the future of domestic cricket in England and Wales. I am delighted to support them. The board also agreed the 2010 season would include a 50-over competition and 16 County Championship matches in a two-division structure.

[Feed]

Australian cricketers now eyeing EPL After their profitable outing in the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL), Australian cricketers are now eyeing the proposed English Premier League (EPL) slated for 2010. More... Australian cricketers now eyeing EPL Australian News.Net Friday 18th July, 2008 (IANS) After their profitable outing in the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL), Australian cricketers are now eyeing the proposed English Premier League (EPL) slated for 2010. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke Thursday confirmed details of the new league, which will begin in June 2010 and has been established in response to the IPL. The EPL has re-ignited the club-versus-country debate as county teams will be able to sign as many as four overseas players each. According to Daily Telegraph, this lure will become even greater when Cricket Australia (CA) revamps its Twenty20 competition from 2009-10 as the bite-sized format takes a frenzied grip on the game. Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee will be at the top of the EPL list. Australia's top players will already be in England for five one-day internationals before the EPL begins. The EPL will feature 18 first-class counties and two overseas teams. They will be split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation of two or three teams. It's understood that Australia's top Twenty20 side, Victoria, and a South African side will be invited to take part. This would free up India's players to join English teams, boosting sponsorship and television revenue, as matches would be shown in the sub-continent. Some county teams could later appear in Australia's revamped tournament as part of a reciprocal deal. While prize money details have yet to be released, the riches on offer in the EPL will be huge. The top two local EPL teams will qualify for the Champions League stage, which features teams from Australia, South Africa and India in a playoff for $5 million. Officials are still working on plans to stage the inaugural Champions League in India in October this year.

[DadaRocks]

jahan paisa wahan aussie players....

[cowboysfan]

th english are going with a 20 team t20 tournament in their tiny country.good luck with that.