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The IPL Is Eating The World
Welcome to Twenty Two Yards, a weekly newsletter celebrating cricket's culture and characters.
In this issue:
The T20 replicants have arrived
One of the greatest quits cricket
Ladies & Gents, meet Rinku Singh
Estimated read ⏰: 5 mins
The IPL replicants have arrived
Illustration: Sidney Secolo
The 2023 IPL season has delivered dramatic finishes from cricket’s most adored stars, and they’re performing at a discount.
Yes, we’re entering the Blade Runner era of cricket, when mega-corporations buy player allegiance and our attention. Their plan is working.
In a recent piece in The Telegraph, Tim Wigmore details how IPL players are paid about 18% of league revenues - sure, India’s middle class may be rising, but not in the beloved game.
Meritocracy at the right price
Despite the IPL securing a record-breaking £5.13bn broadcasting deal (2x the previous five-year cycle), the salary cap has barely budged.
The players can't win
Collective bargaining is DOA. As Wigmore points out, unions are "barred" in India.
Each franchise has a salary cap of £9.5m.
Players will be dinged 20% of their match fee if they don't play.
IPL owners also own all the SA20 teams and half of the T20 international franchises. Some of these teams are attempting to lock in "overall deals" that would activate players across these leagues instead of playing for their national teams. Enter Saudi Arabia as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald (subscription*).
Judge from the bottom of the order
The stories of cricket before India opened its borders to international commerce in 1991 romanticise cricketers playing for pride and peanuts, but that was before India’s economic boom. Apples to apples, Virat Kohli, gets paid much more than Sunil Gavaskar ever did, but what about Virat compared to the next Kohli?
Of course, we're not knocking the King, hell - double Kohli’s wages - instead, let’s consider those at the bottom of the roster and their minimum salaries compared to other leagues:
Source: TTY
The Stakes
The elite deserves a golf clap for bringing T20 to full speed, but if T20 is here to stay (it is), then the owners would be prescient to nip this topic in the bud. The moment one iconic cricketer has the courage to sit out on behalf of their younger self and make demands, others may follow. It only takes one, then what?
In Partnership with DAZN
The IPL has arrived in the U.K. and Ireland
All 74 matches, including the playoffs and finals, will be included in the DAZN subscription at no extra cost, starting from as little as £9.99 per month.
Imran Khan: ‘I don’t even watch any cricket’
Getty Images
Imagine a world where Kareem Abdul Jabar doesn’t watch basketball or David Beckham walks out of his home with a gas mask. That’s the situation in Lahore for one of cricket’s greatest players to ever stand in the crease.
Don’t be surprised if Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime minister once known for his playboy lifestyle and legendary cricket career, doesn’t want to talk wickets with you.
In an interview with Vice World News’ Isobel Yeung, the 70-year-old Khan shared:
"People ask me, you know, 'You had such a great glamour life as a cricketer.' I look upon that life, and I don't even remember it. It means nothing to me."
Khan to Lucy Fisher on cricket’s role in IND v. PAK
“The cricketing relationship between India and Pakistan is a sad affair. India behaves arrogantly as if they are a superpower in world cricket.”
TTY has learned about a forthcoming India vs Pakistan cricket docu
This may be a step in the right direction if the project can show how similar the fans are devoted to the game. Meanwhile, if the Asian Cup developments are any indication of how conflict may be exposed, it could also sow more division. A little more playing and much less talking would be a solution here. It would not be the first time where sport was used as a tool for diplomacy.
The Slip Corden
Issy Wong: World Cup snub made me a better player
The England bowler joined Sky Sports and reflected on her leap from being named a travelling reserve to playing a vital role in Mumbai’s WPL championship: “I was fresh [ahead of the WPL] and feel like it was an opportunity for me to say, ‘I’ve listened to your feedback, I am not disagreeing with it, but this is what I’ve done about it.’”
Singh Goes Wild
28 runs to win. Five balls remaining. No problem for Rinku Singh. You may have gone mad watching it live, but if you weren’t, you’re in luck. The Grade Cricketer’s Sam Perry and Ian Higgins had the camera rolling. Jump to the historic final six and watch their reaction here.
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