BCCI keen to introduce a T10 League during the September-October window - Reports

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is exploring the possibility of introducing a Tier-2 league similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL), but in the T10 format, during the September-October window. The plan is still in the early stages, but it has received an early vote of confidence from stakeholders and potential sponsors while BCCI secretary Jay Shah is working out the details.

According to a report by Moneycontrol, the board is inspired by the success brought on by the IPL, which has revolutionized the sport since its inception in 2008. As far as the format being T10 is concerned, the people familiar with the developments believe that it could be key in increasing the popularity of the sport in the nation even more than it is at present.

The report further states that the board is looking to resolve a set of issues associated with the potential implementation of a new league, which includes the format itself, and other set of factors that affect the IPL as well.

A) Should they go ahead with the idea of a T10 league or stick to T20 (the current proposal, though, is for T10)?

B) Should the league have an age cap for the players so that the new property doesn’t eat into the popularity of the IPL?

C) Should the franchises for this new league be sold through a separate tender process or can the existing IPL franchises be given the right of first refusal (there’s a mention of it in the existing contracts)?

D) Should the proposed tournament be played in India or have a new venue every year?

A clause does exist in the contracts between the BCCI and the IPL franchises, which gives the latter the right to first refusal for any business model 'similar' to the IPL that the board wishes to launch.

Sources claim that the BCCI will respect that particular clause before finalizing anything.

"Whenever the BCCI decides to launch a new property, points A and C will always continue to remain the same given that cricket sells like no other product in India. It is point b that the BCCI might want to think twice about,” say those tracking developments.

India presents itself as an untapped market when it comes to the T10 format. Such competitions have been held in the UAE and the United States for a while, and they have found success as well.

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"It could signal the death of 50-over cricket sooner than one thinks" - Sources close to developments on nations being part of a potential revenue-sharing model with BCCI

Franchise cricket's eventual triumph over bilateral cricket has been deemed inevitable, particularly the way things have progressed over the last few years.

Barring ICC events across formats, as well as a handful of marquee series, none of the other international affairs stand a chance to compete against the relentless nature of franchise-based competitions across the globe.

Not a lot of nations are currently profiting from the current revenue-sharing model in place. The bilateral series are not appealing enough for broadcasters at the moment, and it is a stance that might not change.

"A potential revenue-sharing model with the BCCI could help these boards on the financial front. “But if that happens, it could signal the death of 50-over cricket sooner than one thinks,” say those fearing the ‘inevitable’.

Do you see a T10 League thriving in India along with the IPL? Let us know what you think.