The England Cricket Board (ECB) took a significant step and reportedly banned its players from participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and other franchise leagues if they clash with domestic summer. The decision was taken as the ECB felt it would safeguard the quality of domestic cricket. The ban applies to all franchise tournaments, however, an exception is made for the Indian Premier League (IPL) – the most lucrative cricket league in the world, according to a report in the Telegraph.
The decision could have a big impact on England Cricket as some fear that top players could potentially end their red-ball careers to make themselves available for franchise tournaments, however, ECB believes that the decision would improve the quality of domestic cricket.
The Telegraph had earlier reported that the ECB was planning to stop issuing NOCs to its players for franchise leagues that clash with domestic cricket unless a player only has a white-ball contract. The England board will also not grant permission to players to feature in other leagues if they clash with the Hundred or T20 Blast. The players won’t be allowed to play leagues suspected of corruption while the board also forbade the cricketers from “double-dipping” – switching to a new tournament once eliminated from another competition taking place at the same time.
The decision has left the players in major trouble as franchise leagues are a massive source of income for the players. The T20 Blast and Hundred 2025 will clash with Major League Cricket, Canada’s Global T20 League, and Sri Lanka’s Premier League, while the Caribbean Premier League begins in late August.
The PSL 2025 will take place in April and it was feared that many top England cricketers could skip domestic cricket to play the T20 league, however, the players find themselves in a tricky situation after the ECB ban. Moreso, players who don't play first-class cricket, won't be allowed to miss domestic white-ball games for other T20 leagues.
This year, Jason Roy missed T20 Blast fixtures for Surrey to appear in Major League Cricket and the Caribbean Premier League. Alex Hales missed Blast matches for Nottinghamshire to appear in the Lanka Premier League.
“We need to protect the integrity of our sport and the strength of our competitions in England and Wales as well,” said Richard Gould, ECB chief executive as quoted by the Telegraph.
“This policy gives clarity to players and professional counties around our approach to issuing No Objection Certificates. It will enable us to strike the right balance between supporting players who want to take up opportunities to earn and gain experience, while also protecting the integrity of cricket globally, ensuring we don’t undermine our own ECB competitions, and managing the welfare of centrally contracted England players.”