More expansions on horizon for T20 franchise cricket

Mumbai Indians’ players along with the team owner Nita Ambani (C) pose with the winning trophy at the end of the Women's Premier League (WPL) Twenty20 final cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on March 16, 2025. (File/AFP)
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Updated 20 March 2025
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More expansions on horizon for T20 franchise cricket

  • Beyond financial considerations, leagues have a duty to support ailing domestic structures and act as platforms for developing better talent

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League begins on Sunday, March 23, with the final scheduled for May 25. This year, the Pakistan Super League will overlap with the IPL, because it had to make way for Pakistan’s hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy.

Compared with the IPL’s 74 matches, the 10th edition of the PSL will feature 44, opening on April 8 and ending on May 19. As further evidence of the expansion of T20 franchise cricket, this number is set to change in 2026.

The Pakistan Cricket Board hopes to expand the PSL from six teams to eight. The existing franchises operate under a 10-year agreement which ends after this season. Expansion outside of the current four cities — Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Multan — is under consideration whilst media and sponsorship rights will be up for sale with the aim of strengthening the PSL’s commercial appeal and competitiveness.

A part of this recalibration will need to focus on the optimal time to hold an expanded tournament. The previous window in January to February now faces competition from SA20 in South Africa and ILT20 in the UAE. In addition, an increasingly intense battle for the top overseas players is a corollary of expanded franchise leagues.

It remains the case that the IPL attracts the best of those players. It has shown its strength by imposing penalties on any overseas player who, having been picked for a franchise, withdraws before the start of the season for other than medical or family reasons. England’s Harry Brook, who has just done so, faces a ban from participating in the IPL for two seasons. The decision may have something to do with him being touted as England’s next white ball captain.

Despite having separate windows in previous years, there are few players who have participated in both the IPL and PSL in the same season. Indeed, there have been few who have played in both leagues in different seasons. Fears that a clash of dates for the first time might lead to some acrimony over player choices were not realized until this week. Then, South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch withdrew from the Peshawar Zalmi squad in the PSL to join the Mumbai Indians in the IPL to replace an injury withdrawal. Subsequently, the PCB has served Bosch with a legal notice for breaching his contractual obligations.

Pakistan’s poor showing in the Champions Trophy has reinforced concerns its players and administrators are being left behind in cricket’s ever-changing landscape. These have led to the non-selection of Pakistan players for The Hundred, which occupies August in England and Wales. Fifty of them — 45 men and five women — registered for the draft. It is the first time no Pakistani players have been selected. The purchase of equity in four of the franchises by Indian investors has prompted murmurings of a possible “soft ban.” Pakistan players have not played in the IPL since 2008 and the global spread of Indian franchise ownership has led to suspicions of tacit discrimination.

As far as The Hundred is concerned the reality is likely to be more prosaic, as the Pakistani players have overlapping international commitments. Pakistan is scheduled to play ODIs and T20Is in the West Indies from late July to mid-August and may play a T20I series against Afghanistan before the Asia Cup begins mid-September. Franchises are also likely to be worried about the PCB’s stance towards releasing players with domestically contracted obligations. There are already tensions. 

Another concern is the value which Pakistan’s players currently bring to the franchise. Recent performances have been disappointing and they may be caught in a vicious circle of not being able to improve because they are not getting picked. Additionally, they are not being exposed to the latest developments, coaching and analytical tools.

It is easy to assume franchise cricket is all about money; it is, to a large extent. Players cannot be blamed for cashing in, investors and sponsors require a return on their investments, whilst some administrators have regarded it as a lifesaving device for ailing domestic structures. However, the leagues should be more than that, acting as a platform to promote those structures and develop better talent. ILT20 in the UAE has been criticized for having too many overseas players but its long-term objective is to develop domestic cricket.

National boards have been able act unilaterally in setting up leagues, only requiring sanction from the ICC, which rarely refuses. Outside this largely unregulated market a new entrant is rumored to be at its gates. Cricket’s media machine is rife with the story that a new league is being discussed with the potential to produce a seismic twist to the game’s landscape.

The rumor appears to have emanated from Australia. It focuses on competitions for both men and women modelled on tennis and its Grand Slams, with eight new teams which assemble and play matches in four different locations during the year. Neither the proposed identity and composition of the teams, nor the times of year when the matches could be played, have been revealed. There are few vacant windows in an already crowded calendar. This has led to immediate pushback from several national boards, keen to protect their domestic franchises.

Currently, the cricket economy is based largely on income received from broadcasters and distributions from ICC events. It is weighted heavily in favor of India, followed by Australia and England. Smaller nations struggle financially, a situation which will worsen if sales of broadcasting rights in the next cycle generate less than the current one, a possibility given concerns over value provided during the 2024 World Cup. Boards may be attracted by an alternative revenue source.

If the rumors are true, a major backer of the proposed league — to the tune of $500m — could be SRJ Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund. Clearly, there is much that needs to be fleshed out — not least player availability, especially those from India; the economic model to be adopted; and the impact on existing structures, both spatial and temporal. It is questionable if those structures can cope with even more pressure.


Saudi artist on track as work displayed at Jeddah Corniche Circuit

Updated 10 sec ago
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Saudi artist on track as work displayed at Jeddah Corniche Circuit

  • Race Through Art competition launched in cooperation with Ministry of Sport
  • ‘This message reflects our culture to the whole world,’ says winner Yara Al-Harthi

JEDDAH: Yara Al-Harthi, the winner of the Race Through Art competition, has captured the spirit of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in a powerful piece of artwork at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Al-Harthi’s artwork was displayed at the circuit ahead of the arrival of the pinnacle of motorsport in Jeddah.
The Race Through Art competition was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, which invited amateur and professional artists to participate in designing artistic works that reflected the unique culture of the Kingdom. The winning artwork was displayed in the run-off area at the circuit ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian GP, which takes place on Sunday.
The aim of the competition was to provide a platform for creative Saudi talent to showcase their work. It was open to all Saudi nationals over the age of 18, living anywhere in the world, who wanted the opportunity to present their vision of the historic sporting occasion.
Al-Harthi said: “This design is not just an artwork: It is a message, and this message reflects our culture to the whole world, especially in the fifth edition (of the grand prix).
“I used bold colors at the circuit to reflect the spirit of enthusiasm and to increase the energy of fans, and also to make them notice the integration of culture … and the main landmarks in Saudi Arabia with the race.
“I am very happy and proud that I won the competition.”


UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach

Updated 9 min 25 sec ago
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UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach

  • The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento
  • Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah

DUBAI: Cosmin Olaroiu has been appointed United Arab Emirates head coach, the country’s FA announced on Saturday.
The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento, who was fired last month despite a last-gasp win over North Korea in Asia’s World Cup qualifiers.
The UAE are third in Group A of the preliminaries for the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The first two finishers in each of Asia’s three groups progress automatically to the World Cup while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another round.
Iran have already claimed one of the two berths available from Group A while second-placed Uzbekistan are four points clear of the UAE with two matches remaining.
Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah, and last week guided the team into the final of the AFC Champions League Two.
He has worked extensively in the Gulf region, coaching Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Emirati side Al-Ain before moving to China, where he won the Chinese Super League title with Jiangsu Suning in 2020.
Olaroiu’s first game in charge of the UAE will be their World Cup qualifier at home to Uzbekistan on June 5. They then visit Kyrgyzstan in Group A five days later.


Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivač dies in car accident at age 39

Updated 19 April 2025
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Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivač dies in car accident at age 39

  • The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident
  • Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team

ZAGREB: Nikola Pokrivač, a former Croatia national team midfielder who played at the 2008 European Championship, has died in a car accident, his country’s soccer federation said. He was 39.
The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident in the city of Karlovac.
Pokrivač played for Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Salzburg before being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015.

Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team.
Marijan Kustić, president of the Croatian Football Federation, called Pokrivač a “great football player” who “showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease.” He offered condolences to Pokrivač’s family.
Dinamo said in a statement that Pokrivač was a talented midfielder who played 69 times for the team and participated in four championship titles.


F1 fans enjoy start of Saudi Arabian GP weekend at fan zone

Updated 19 April 2025
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F1 fans enjoy start of Saudi Arabian GP weekend at fan zone

JEDDAH: Fans from around the world enjoyed the first day of the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race weekend on Friday at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit fan zone.

The site, next to the racetrack, offered a range of experiences including F1 interactive simulators, sim racing, a pit stop challenge, an F1 show car, driver selfies in augmented reality and a virtual pit tour, all designed to bring fans closer to the sport.

There were also food trucks, live music, cutting-edge driving simulators, virtual racing games and several F1 cars for photo opportunities.

Many fans who spoke with Arab News said they had traveled from places such as Riyadh, Dammam, Hail, Taif, Madina and Jizan to experience the race in Jeddah.

“It is an amazing event and as a family we are really enjoying every bit of it. I was really looking forward to seeing a racing car close up, and this is what Formula 1 is all about,” said local Saudi businessman Fahad Al-Malki, there with his family from Jeddah.

He added: “It is an amazing experience from the moment you start arriving around the road. It is so organized. I love the way everyone is so cooperative while you walk in, people are smiling and everyone is welcoming you, I enjoy that. My family is here and you get different ages of groups and families are sitting together and they are enjoying it. It is an amazing experience.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy from Glasgow, Scotland, described the Formula 1 weekend as “amazing.”

“This is my first time to attend the F1 race and I am glad to see it here in Jeddah,” he said. “Besides watching the (racing) I also had the chance to explore the fan zone. It is incredible and the food court is fantastic. Simply, my friend and I are just having fun and enjoying everything here.”

Laisly, from the Philippines, said: “I am very surprised. I was really looking forward to seeing a racing car from close up, it is really an interesting event. I’m really excited to see the race and at the same time enjoy the atmosphere of the fan zone.”

She added: “For us as Filipinos who are working here in Saudi Arabia, it is really one of a kind and hopefully these kinds of events will continue and recently there are many opportunities to see a race like this.”


Dortmund to treat every game as a final in bid for top four, says Gross

Updated 19 April 2025
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Dortmund to treat every game as a final in bid for top four, says Gross

  • “In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world. (Missing out) on that would hurt a lot,” Gross told reporters on Saturday

Borussia Dortmund will approach every match like a final as they push for a top four finish in the Bundesliga, midfielder Pascal Gross said ahead of Sunday’s home game against seventh-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Dortmund are eighth in the table with 42 points from 29 games, their worst position since 2014-15 when they finished seventh. They trail fourth-placed RB Leipzig by six points with five games remaining in the season.
Dortmund’s confidence in securing a European spot has grown, with Gross seeing his side’s 3-1 midweek home win over Barcelona in the Champions League as a boost, despite the side losing 5-3 on aggregate, which eliminated them from the competition.
“In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world. (Missing out) on that would hurt a lot,” Gross told reporters on Saturday.
“That’s why we need to do everything in our power in the final five games to get as many points as we possibly can. This season is crazy. We’ve almost lost too many games already to be able to reach that goal.
“But when you look at the table, you can see that anything is possible. The next five games are all finals for us.”
The 33-year-old added that the team was more cohesive now, “I feel like we’re more solid now. If one person makes a mistake, someone else smoothes it out for him. That helps you to trust in what you’re doing.”
Dortmund manager Nico Kovac called for more passion and aggression in the next five games and said captain Emre Can and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who missed the Barcelona game with injury, are in contention to feature against Gladbach.