"Leagues are the future of cricket": Joy Bhattacharjya
The DP World International League T20 (ILT20) is the latest in a series of professional T20 cricket leagues sprouting up worldwide. All set to commence in the UAE on January 13, 2023, the DP World ILT20 will feature a total of six teams: Sharjah Warriors, Gulf Giants, Desert Vipers, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, MI Emirates, and Dubai Capitals.
Having been Team Director of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, seasoned sports promoter Joy Bhattacharjya is well-versed in the world of pro sports. Currently the CEO of Prime Volleyball League and the Director-General of the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), Mr. Bhattarcharjya strongly believes that "leagues are the future of cricket."
Read on for Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya's insight, in his own words, shared exclusively with Business of Sports:
'T20 leagues have democratized opportunities for young talent' - Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya
The sport of cricket is going through seismic changes. And at the heart of what is making the game so different is the proliferation of T20 and shorter format cricket leagues around the world, like the DP World ILT20 in the UAE.
In effect, the game is moving from where players represent their nation for 10 months of the year and their league for a couple of months, to exactly the opposite, where more and more players play professional leagues the year round and only want to represent their nations in marquee tournaments.
Actually, it isn’t that unusual a situation in sport. Around the world, fans are enthralled by the FIFA World Cup, but football is a sport where teams play for their clubs throughout the year with only a small amount of time on national duty. In fact, because this year’s FIFA tournament is being played in winter rather than the summer months in which it is normally held, FIFA is paying a huge compensation — more than $200 million dollars — to professional clubs around the world for releasing their players during mid-season.
Why are cricket leagues good for the game?
For starters, they open up the game to a whole lot of players who would never ever get a chance to rub shoulders with the best in international cricket. Some of the players first catching the limelight in T20 leagues include Rashid Khan from Afghanistan, then an associate nation; Ryan Ten Doeschate, who represented the Netherlands; and Tim David, who played for Singapore before his T20 league heroics opened the door for a place in the Australian team.
All these players always had the ability, but it’s only when matched up against top players like Joe Root, Andre Russell, Jonny Bairstow, and Trent Boult, from the Test-playing nations, were their feats recognized at the highest level. And like football clubs, top T20 franchises are hungry for new talent and have scouts around the world, scouring grounds for the best new cricket talent. In effect, the DP World ILT20 makes an even bigger case for such players, with 9 out of 11 players from overseas.
Even a decade ago, the opportunity for a young new talent to showcase his ability against established stars was extremely limited, perhaps a single World Cup match. Today, T20 leagues have democratized the opportunity for such players and will significantly add to the talent pool of the game and the skill levels of the elite teams.
The second is the kind of facilities young players will get in terms of training and mentoring. With quite a few teams in the DP World ILT20 being already established IPL franchises, the very best of international coaching will be available. The specialist coaches will be world-class, and the physios and trainers employed by all teams will be international and IPL veterans. It means the growth curve of young players is likely to be very steep if they have the ability and drive to make it to the very top.
The rise of the T20 format has finally given cricket a global platform. It has also enabled players from countries like Ireland to experience and gain knowledge from the best of the T20 World.
The chances of 50 over cricket being a regular part of the Olympics were next to nothing. But today, the shorter length and the popularity of the sport across continents means that cricket, once an exclusive club dominated by a few former British colonies, now has a vibrant global face showcased by the most exciting talent from players across the world. And the Olympics would find it hard not to seriously consider the sport in future editions of the event. It’s finally cricket’s place in the sun as a global sport. And it’s about time!
Catch the live action of the inaugural season of DP World ILT20 only on Zee Network and Zee5 starting January 13, 2023.