The Global T20 League Explosion: From IPL to a World of Franchise Cricket
Since the IPL launched in 2008, T20 franchise leagues have multiplied across every cricket-playing nation. This article maps the major T20 leagues worldwide, explains the franchise model that drives them, examines the tension between franchise and international cricket, and considers what the proliferation of leagues means for cricket's global structure.
The IPL Origin and What It Proved
The Indian Premier League (IPL), launched by the BCCI in 2008, demonstrated that T20 franchise cricket could generate revenues far exceeding those of traditional cricket — turning players into globally traded assets, and turning cricket matches into entertainment events comparable to global sports entertainment. The IPL's model: city-based franchises (Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and others) auction players at a public sale; franchises assemble squads from international stars and domestic Indian players; the league runs for approximately 6-8 weeks annually. The IPL's revenue — estimated at several billion US dollars in broadcast rights alone — proved the model commercially and triggered a worldwide replication.
The Major Leagues
The major T20 franchise leagues by 2024: IPL (India, 10 franchises, ~March-May annually); Big Bash League (BBL, Australia, 8 franchises, summer December-February); PSL (Pakistan Super League, 6 franchises, February-March); CPL (Caribbean Premier League, 6 franchises, August-September); SA20 (South Africa, 6 franchises, launched 2023, January-February); The Hundred (England and Wales, 8 city-based teams, July-August, 100-ball format not T20); LPL (Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka); ILT20 (UAE-based league); and several others in emerging cricket nations including Bangladesh Premier League. Each league uses a version of the franchise auction/draft model, and most directly compete with each other for international player availability during overlapping window periods.
Franchise vs International Tensions
The proliferation of T20 leagues creates structural tension with international cricket. International cricket (Tests, ODIs, T20Is) requires players to be available through the ICC's Future Tours Programme — a scheduled framework of bilateral series agreed between boards. Franchise leagues compete for player availability during these same windows. An Australian player in the BBL (December-February) is available for Australian Tests in the same window; if that player is then contracted to an IPL franchise, South African SA20, or UAE ILT20 that overlaps with Australian home Test summer, the board faces competing claims on the player's availability. Cricket Australia, the ECB, and Cricket South Africa have handled this differently — some boards allow franchise participation, others restrict it — creating inequitable outcomes for international players across different cricket nations.
Frequently asked questions
Can players be contracted to multiple franchise leagues?
Yes — players who are not under exclusive contracts with one league can participate in multiple leagues across the cricket calendar year. A player might participate in the IPL (April-May), then the CPL (August-September), then the BBL (December-January) in a single cricket year. The practical constraint is physical: participating in 3 leagues across a year involves significant travel and sustained high-intensity cricket, with potential injury risk from overload. International players who are heavily franchise-contracted (and earn most of their income from franchises) typically scale back international availability — this is a particular tension for boards whose players can earn more in 6 weeks of IPL cricket than in a full international season.
How much do IPL franchises pay top players?
IPL player salaries have increased dramatically since the league's first auctions in 2008 — early 'icon player' contracts were in the range of USD 2-3 million per season; by the 2022-2023 auction cycles, top international players attracted contracts of USD 2-4 million per 8-week season from franchise bidding. The total IPL player purse across all franchises runs to hundreds of millions of USD annually. Context: a player earning USD 3 million from 8 weeks of IPL cricket earns more per week than most international cricket boards pay in a full year of bilateral international cricket. This economic asymmetry structurally incentivises players to prioritise franchise cricket over international cricket, a concern that cricket boards have increasingly acknowledged.
Do all countries have T20 franchise leagues?
Most major cricket-playing nations now have some form of T20 franchise or city-based league, but the scale and commercial viability varies enormously. India's IPL operates at a scale 10-20x larger than any other T20 league. Pakistan's PSL, Australia's BBL, South Africa's SA20, and the Caribbean Premier League are commercially viable leagues with international player participation. Other nations' leagues (Bangladesh Premier League, Lanka Premier League) operate at smaller scales with less consistent international player participation and lower broadcast revenues. Nations without significant domestic cricket followings (e.g. many associate members) may have T20 competitions but not franchise leagues with the commercial infrastructure of the established leagues.