Franchise Cricket: How the IPL Model Changed the Global Game
The IPL's franchise model — city-based teams, player auctions, salary caps, and foreign ownership — transformed cricket from a bilateral-series sport into a global entertainment business.
What Is the Franchise Cricket Model?
The franchise cricket model — pioneered by the IPL in 2008 — structures a league around city-based privately owned teams competing in a round-robin tournament. Unlike traditional cricket, franchise teams are not selected by national boards: they are bought by investors (individuals, corporations, venture funds) who then recruit international and domestic players through an auction or draft system. The model treats cricket as an entertainment business rather than a sport conducted by governing bodies.
How the IPL Auction Works
The IPL Player Auction is cricket's most high-profile commercial event. Each year, teams use a salary cap (the 2024 cap was ₹120 crore per team) to bid for available players. Players are auctioned into categories (base price from ₹20 lakh to ₹2 crore). Teams retain a set number of players from the previous season and compete in an open auction for the remainder. Players like Sam Curran (₹18.5 crore in 2023) and Pat Cummins (₹20.5 crore) have set records for individual auction prices.
The Spread of the Franchise Model
The IPL model has been replicated globally: the PSL in Pakistan, CPL in the Caribbean, BBL in Australia, SA20 in South Africa, The Hundred in England, MLC in the USA, ILT20 in the UAE, and LPL in Sri Lanka all use franchise structures. Each league adapts the core model to local conditions — some use drafts rather than auctions, some have different ownership structures — but the fundamental architecture of city-based franchise teams, salary caps, and competitive tournaments is universal.
Challenges and Criticisms
The franchise model's dominance has raised concerns about player overload — top players can play in four or five franchise leagues per year plus international cricket, creating unsustainable workload. Smaller cricket boards lose players to franchise leagues and cannot compete financially for domestic player time. The ICC and national boards have attempted to establish a 'Future Tours Programme' window to protect international cricket from franchise competition, but enforcement remains challenging.
Frequently asked questions
What is the franchise cricket model?
The franchise cricket model (pioneered by the IPL) structures leagues around city-based privately owned teams that recruit players through auctions or drafts within a salary cap, treating cricket as an entertainment business.
How many franchise cricket leagues are there worldwide?
There are now over a dozen franchise T20 leagues worldwide including the IPL, PSL, CPL, BBL, SA20, The Hundred, MLC, ILT20, LPL, and others — all based on the IPL's franchise model.