Cricket's Big One

Welcome to Twenty Two Yards, a weekly newsletter celebrating cricket's culture and characters.

In this issue:

• India is about to let it rain

• Black market tickets are in a frenzy

• Gill takes a bow

Estimated read ⏰: 6 mins

Cricket’s Big One

We can declare that the "Big Three" era is over unless the big three are India, India and, let's see... oh yes, India. The tri-colours are reportedly set to take 38.5% of the ICC purse - from 2024 to 2027.

In the proposal, India would clear 5x the amount of England (6.89%) and Australia (6.25%). So, which economic structure is best for the game?

Previously...
In men's and women's ICC events over the past 16 years, full members would receive 88.81% of revenue, with the remaining 11.19% sprinkled on the 96 associate nations (£563,000 each).

Ladies and Gents, Mister Atherton
The Times Chief cricket correspondent and former England captain Mike Atherton wrote about the flaws he sees in the proposal:

Just outside the (formerly) Big Three is Pakistan, which would nab 5.75% of the pie. No surprise, PCB Chairman Najam Sethi raised concerns over the plan:

Former PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani wants more money allocated for associates like the U.S. and African nations, "I would have put $20-30 million into the U.S. You also need to grow the game in Africa; that's the future."

Let the big boy eat
Advocates for India argue the nation deserves a more considerable portion and can point to the record $6.2B broadcast deal.

The IPL also set a Guinness World Record for the highest-ever fan turnout in a T20 match while on its way to becoming the second-most valuable sports league in the world in terms of per-match basis.

While serving as Cricket Australia chairman in 2014, Wally Edwards said India deserved a bigger share because it was "contributing towards 80% of the money" despite only taking a 20% cut.

According to a BCCI source in a report from WION, the model has India responsible for 85.3% of commercial revenue. So… India is to money in cricket what Jay Z is to hip hop - they didn't invent it, but they've mastered it - now pay 'em.

How it shakes out
The rich are getting richer, but at what cost to growing the game globally? Ultimately, one country's power over a sport built off of world competitions requires limiting self-interests. Whatever the Big One decides to do with it, cricket fans worldwide will be watching - but for how long?

In Partnership with DAZN

The IPL has arrived in the U.K. and Ireland

All playoff and finals matches are included in the DAZN subscription at no extra cost, starting from as little as £9.99 per month.

Chaos and Controversy Surrounding T20 Tickets

The intense buzz surrounding the 2023 IPL season could reach banshee levels if (when) M.S. Dhoni calls it quits, and the fervour for tickets will get even crazier than it already is. When hundreds of "line-holding" teenagers, women, and part-time labourers queued just for a chance to buy IPL tickets - only to flip the ticket for upwards of 700% on the black market - this is obviously a problem.

So you wanna buy a ticket?
In a perfect world, the current model works. Fans purchase online through a team website, official partner, or over-the-counter ahead of matches. Tickets are delivered through the magic of the internet and without issue, and everyone who wants to attend a game can pay a reasonable price.

In reality...
The most-watched T20 league in the world also happens to take place where the population exceeds 1.4 billion people. With over 405 million viewers in India alone, the first hurdle in obtaining tickets is beating the swarm of fans to them.

Paper tickets
Most airline, concert and sporting event tickets today are digital and accessible via mobile devices; for the IPL, however, you'll still need a physical ticket. Once you have that via delivery (which might not happen) or pick it up, you will want to ensure it isn't fake.

Complimentary tickets
Complicating matters even further is that the pool of tickets for sale to fans is diluted before they even arrive at the stadium. Sponsors and the BCCI get priority, which reportedly led to only 40% of total available tickets being put on sale for a match earlier this season.

Where it's heading
Despite concerted efforts by authorities, journalists, stadium management teams, and the BCCI to ensure transparency and fairness in ticketing, much more is needed. If you collect the biggest piece of the cricket revenue pie, put some of it to use to protect the fans who want to experience cricket.

To close loopholes, how about eliminating the need for physical tickets? In the digital age, the IPL's ticketing systems still need to enter it, but its fans certainly have - and they're demanding better.

The Slip Corden

• Gill Takes a Bow

  In a decisive showdown, the Gujarat Titans sent Royal Challengers Bangalore packing from the IPL. In a stunning display, Gill spoiled RCB's chances and took an iconic bow. With RCB out, the Mumbai Indians will Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator.
  

• Pope gets VC nod

  Winning the week was Ollie Pope, after being named England’s vice-captain. With The Ashes 25 days out and England beat up, Ollie shared captain Ben Stokes’ advice to The Guardian, “Stokesy was like: ‘Mate, just keep planting it into the crowd."

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