“You lose track of who actually is in your franchise” - Brad Hogg on IPL owners purchasing teams in other T20 leagues

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg reckons that Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners purchasing teams in other T20 leagues could lead to decreased fan loyalty as it would be difficult to keep track of multiple teams.

All six teams in Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) upcoming T20 league have been purchased by IPL owners. Further, the owners of Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals, have also purchased franchises in the UAE T20 league.

Following the developments, some questions have been raised about the rising influence of the IPL in T20 leagues across the globe. Sharing his views on the debate, Hogg said on his official YouTube channel:

“I think it’s going to displace the marketplace in certain phases where you see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) or Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchises have three different teams around the globe. You think, which one should I support? Do I support my IPL team or am I following all of them? And who are the players playing for these franchises? You lose track of who actually is in your franchise.”

Back in 2015, the owners of KKR bought a stake in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel (now called Trinbago Knight Riders). It was the first instance of an IPL franchise investing in an overseas T20 league.

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“They are not committing to a full season” - Brad Hogg on players featuring in half tournaments

Chipping in with his thoughts on the plethora of T20 leagues flourishing in different parts of the world, Hogg lamented the same is leading to a lack of commitment and loyalty towards a particular side. He explained:

“What I don’t like about all these tournaments coming up around the globe and competing at the same time is that you are seeing some England players putting their name in for the BBL, play half the tournament, then go over to the CSA and finish off there. They are not committing to a full season in some of these tournaments. It’s a big worry.”

The former Aussie left-arm spinner concluded that international cricket is going to see a huge change due to the number of T20 tournaments cropping up. Hogg elaborated:

“Do they (ICC) get rid of one-day international cricket? I think that is getting closer to execution than not. T20 cricket, the bilateral series' being played around the world, I think we’ve got to get rid of them and play just T20 World Cups. Then, we can play more T20 competitions around the world. We’ve got to keep Test cricket. As of now, there is too much quantity, and not enough quality.”

In the wake of rising T20 leagues, some former cricketers like Ravi Shastri and Aakash Chopra have called for a relook at the number of bilateral series’ being played in white ball formats.