 "The ICC has slammed the World Cricketers' Association's report on IPL vs international cricket. Image: Reuters")
There’s a big debate going on in cricket right now. It’s about T20 leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL), and their impact on international cricket. Recently, the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) put out a report saying that too many domestic T20 leagues are hurting international cricket matches between countries.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), cricket’s global boss, recently held a four-day meeting in Zimbabwe and one of the issues they discussed was reportedly about the WCA’s concerns. The ICC, led by the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), strongly disagreed with the WCA report. They said players have a clear choice to either play in T20 leagues like the IPL or support the WCA’s stand.
According to a report in the Times of India, the BCCI took a tough stand in the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee (CEC) meeting and got support from other cricket boards too. They said it’s nobody else’s business how money from cricket rights gets shared. They pointed out that cricket boards, not outside groups like WCA, should handle these issues.
The ICC even questioned why the WCA exists at all. A senior ICC member said the WCA seemed more like a trade union causing unnecessary problems, rather than helping cricket.
“Who are they? What is the World Cricketers Association? Where have they come from? These are the immediate questions which come to mind. To me they are nothing but a trade union making needless noise. Clearly they don’t have the (players’) best interests in mind and just want to create distractions. If the ICC reacts (to) or entertains such trade unions mushrooming now and then, then the game will not be in the right space,” a CEC member was quoted as saying by TOI.
What’s the WCA’s problem?
The WCA report claims cricket’s current financial and scheduling system is unfair. According to them, three big cricket boards, India’s BCCI, England’s ECB, and Australia’s CA, control most of cricket’s global money, leaving very little for other countries and players. They also said that the cricket calendar is confusing and hurting international cricket matches.
The WCA’s report stated that 83% of global cricket revenue is shared between just three countries (India, Australia, and England). These same countries also won 11 of the last 13 major ICC tournaments. Countries ranked 13th to 108th only get 2% of global cricket revenue. Meanwhile, players themselves only get about 10.5% of the total revenue.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWhat does the WCA want?
They recommended making cricket schedules easier and fairer, with clear time slots for both international matches and domestic T20 leagues. They also suggested a new financial model where cricket money is shared better and enhanced player protections to reduce the need for players to choose between club and country.
Why is ICC angry?
The ICC thinks the WCA is creating unnecessary noise and distractions. They feel players and cricket boards already know what’s best for cricket and don’t need advice from the WCA. They warned that entertaining groups like the WCA could harm cricket’s future.
The WCA report also mentioned views of some active cricketers including the likes of the current Australian captain Pat Cummins and Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, both of whom are currently playing in the ongoing IPL 2025.
“The BCCI took a strong stand in the CEC meet and it was unanimously backed by the other members of the CEC. The message is clear - the players can either choose to play the IPL or side with the WCA. There seems to be no ambiguity. As far as the share from the gaming rights revenue is concerned, it’s nobody’s business. A player represents their cricket board and members of those cricket boards form the ICC. Where and how does WCA come into picture?,” a source close to the development was quoted as saying.