The Changing Nature of Cricket: The Rise of Short Competitions

Cricket is one of the most beloved sports in the world, and its structure and format have remained largely unchanged for centuries. However, the recent influx of money into the game is causing a significant shift in the way cricket is played, with an increasing number of short format competitions emerging on the scene following the success of high-profile competitions such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) & Pakistan Super League. This blog post will look at how this is changing the nature of cricket, and how the rise of short format competitions is redefining the sport as we know it.

The rise of short format cricket over the past decade has been nothing short of revolutionary for the sport. Gone are the days where county cricketers disappeared in September and came out of hiding in April. The packed cricket schedule now sees players playing cricket all year-round, bouncing from one competition to another.

The surge of short format cricket has been largely driven by the increasing dominance of IPL franchises, backed-up by US money. With the power and dominance that IPL franchises now have across the game, they are starting to act like global brands (similar to what we see with English Premier League clubs and NFL franchises). New franchise leagues are being created each year, with a large proportion of new franchises themselves being purchased by IPL teams as well as individual investors from India and US expat communities.

A new trend we’ve recently become aware of, is that IPL teams are also seemingly tying players into more comprehensive contracts where players are playing for one ownership group across multiple countries. Dewald Brevis (nicknamed 'BabyAB') is at the forefront of this trend, with what appears to be a full-time contract with the Mumbai Indians franchise. Following his remarkable draft into the IPL at just 18 years old earlier this year, Brevis played a number of games in the UK for a Mumbai Indians touring XI and will also be starring for their MI Cape Town franchise in the new SA20 (South Africa) league.?

Recently I was asked the question, ‘the IPL has been around since 2008, why only now are they purchasing other franchises and asserting such dominance globally?’ Ultimately the success of the IPL has fuelled popularity for cricket in general, thus increasing television revenue across the sport, and in turn resulting in higher fees for players across short-format competitions - making them more lucrative than ever for both players and ownerships. According to India today, the IPL is now the 2nd most lucrative league in the world in terms of TV revenue, above the Premier League and hot on the heels of the NFL.

This leaves many players with a difficult decision between their domestic/international loyalties, and money. Some players may find themselves choosing the latter, as they look to capitalise on the opportunities available to them and make the most out of their playing career. One prime example of that is in March/April this year, when South Africa were without their frontline seam attack of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi who all decided to play instead in the IPL as well as batters Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen. Rabada himself reportedly earnt over $1,000,000 USD compared to his annual salary of over $220,000 USD for representing South Africa.

This rapid growth of short-format cricket in the post-pandemic world has created a unique set of challenges for professional cricketers. With the increase of shorter format competitions, players will have to make tough decisions about where they want to play their cricket and how they want to earn their money.?

Franchises want players with the biggest profiles to ensure they are maximising revenue from sponsorship and merchandise sales, and given that these players are in short supply they are happy to pay a premium to take them away from domestic and even (as we have seen) international duties.?

The rise in the number of short format competitions is transforming cricket into a faster paced, more commercially viable sport. These tournaments provide fans with an exciting way to experience a game that was dwindling in popularity some 20 years ago. It is clear that money is changing cricket forever.?

With the introduction of short format competitions and the millions of dollars that will follow them, cricket is evolving and changing. Players are performing at higher levels to ensure they compete for the best contracts and most importantly for franchises - television viewers are being provided with an exciting and engaging experience like never before.?

Cricket has come a long way since its decline in popularity at the turn of the century, and as we are seeing, this is just the start.?

Eathan Brookes

Cricket Agent at Gravity Sports

A massive thank you to the team at the Caribbean Cricket Podcast for partnering with us on this blog, we will be ever grateful for your support. Please do check out their podcast on the link below, no better place for updates and analysis on cricket in the Caribbean.?

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