The former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist is worried about the increasing dominance of IPL franchises all over the world and the way it is influencing the commitment of renowned players like David Warner.
David Warner has put in a request to his national board Cricket Australia (CA) that he doesn’t want to feature in the Big Bash League which is Australia’s own T20 league and he rather wants to play in the UAE T20 league, a newly shaped competition which will take place round about at the same time of the year as BBL.
One of the teams in the UAE T20 league, Dubai Capitals, is owned by the same group of people who have the ownership rights of the IPL team Delhi Capitals as well and it’s very much possible that Warner can be seen featuring for Dubai Capitals in the UAE league.
CA, if they want, can refuse to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Warner which will stop him from playing in the UAE league, but Gilchrist reckons that established players like David Warner now have the option of refusing the future central contracts of Cricket Australia and make themselves available for all T20 leagues around the world, wherever they want to play.
CA needs to ensure young players don’t choose the same route as David Warner: Adam Gilchrist
Gilchrist, who was speaking on the SEN Radio show, said that CA needs to be very careful about the fact that the upcoming and emerging players don’t choose to take the same route that the established players like Warner are taking, otherwise it will be a big problem for Australian cricket.
Not only do some of the IPL franchises have ownership rights of the teams in the UAE league and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), but the ownership rights of all 6 teams in the new CSA T20 league have also been bought by the IPL franchise owners. Because of all IPL ownership, the CSA T20 league has a strong chance of attracting the Indian fanbase, which is the biggest cricketing fanbase in the world.
