Rooney for the IPL?

As if the crazy world of T20 couldn't get any weirder, today has seen IPL chief Lalit Modi announce the interest of a "top three" English Premiership club in buying a franchise for the upcoming 2011 competition.

Obviously my first instinct on hearing the news was to head straight to the Bolton Wanderers homepage. Surely as a "top three" Premiership club I could expect to see news of Kevin Davies batting average or learn of Fabrice Muamba's crafty offspin? Sadly not, but having got over my initial disappointment at the thought of Bolton's only chance of silverware I got thinking...

The IPL has long been a source of contention amongst cricket fans. Undoubtedly it brings together some of the most entertaining and explosive players from around the world, its also proved to be a useful arena for younger players such as Ravi Bopara to learn their trade as well as providing the opportunity for more senior players to work out new methods and game plans which can only benefit the national team. Test cricket has also evolved as a result of the T20 revolution with higher run rates and more positive passages of play. Most obvious though is the fact that whether you like it or not T20 and the IPL specifically has also opened doors to huge wage bills and celebrity status.

I'd be the first to agree that in comparison to other professional sports, first class cricketers are underpaid and if I was an Andrew Flintoff I'd be cashing my £1,000,000 with a huge grin and a gracious thank you.

However, I do think the IPL does create several issues. Most notably for younger players it offers rewards for success in the shorter format which overshadow those available in Test and First Class cricket. Are we in danger of developing T20 specialists who have less interest in playing an Ashes series as long as their IPL bank account receives an annual top up? What about injuries and those players who may decide to curtail their Test career in favour of extending their more lucrative limited over availability?

Aside from that though is the involvement of a football club in the IPL a positive? Given the financial situation at many Premiership clubs including some of the biggest i.e Liverpool, United can extra investment in IPL franchise activity be a good thing? If a Manchester United type franchise did materialise undoubtedly the global fan base of cricket would grow significantly overnight and be accompanied by increased revenue from merchandising but would this be for the benefit of the game? My gut instinct says no. I'd much rather see the future of the game be determined by someone with its best interests at heart rather than a shrewd businessman be they American, Arabic or Russian.

Undoubtedly the landscape of professional sport is changing and with it the potential rewards. With this though comes responsibility for both the players involved and the wider custodians of the game. Only time will tell how responsible Mr Modi and his IPL travelling circus truly is.

Woodsy

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