Cricketer James Vince slams England board for prioritising IPL: 'Players were frustrated'

England batter James Vince has slammed the ECB’s new No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) policy which gives preferential treatment to the Indian Premier League (IPL) while also trying to save the interest of County cricket. As per the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new policy, all-format players will only be given NOCs for IPL and not even the Pakistan Super League , scheduled for April-May in 2025, as it clashes with the start of the County Championship.

Vince, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction but has been retained by PSL’s Karachi Kings on a six-figure contract, recently quit first-class cricket to play in Pakistan .

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‘ECB forcing players to choose franchise cricket over county matches’

Vince said that ECB’s arm-twisting policy will force cricketers to priortise franchise T20 cricket over red-ball domestic matches in England.

“When they first mentioned it, a WhatsApp group of players was created and there was a lot of discussion. The initial feeling was that it was going to drive people away from red-ball cricket," Vince, who has played 13 Tests for England, told ESPNCricinfo.

“It felt like it was going to limit opportunities. Players were frustrated by it… There were a few things in there that [we] didn’t really understand."

The PSL 2025 will clash with IPL and County championships, but 33-year-old Vince feels the ECB could have given NOC for the Pakistan league as it’s a smaller competition duration-wise.

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“That’s a big one that has caused a lot of confusion. It’s got to be something to do with relationships between the ECB, PCB and BCCI as to why they’ve come up with that rule," Vince said. “The PSL’s a shorter competition, so if you’re going to play in that, you’re probably missing less domestic cricket than if you’re going to the IPL… It just didn’t seem right."

Vince, the long-standing Hampshire captain, has featured in 197 first-class matches over 15 years with the team. As captain, he led them in 92 games, guiding them to three consecutive top-three

Vince added that more players will quit county cricket for T20 leagues.

“There’s more and more opportunities for guys to play white-ball cricket and earn decent money during our domestic season… You’re talking quite large sums of money in terms of what they forego by playing red-ball cricket," Vince said.

“Particularly further down their careers, when there’s a big difference in those numbers, I’m sure more and more people will go down that route," he said.