Former India captain Sourav Ganguly reckons that players getting lured to the growing number of T20 leagues is a short-term phenomenon, as “only a few” financially sustainable leagues will survive.
With the proliferation of T20 leagues around the world, players have begun to prioritize franchise cricket over national duty. The Big Bash League, an established product, has just concluded, while the inaugural T20 leagues are currently taking place in the UAE and South Africa. A league is also planned for later this year in the United States.
“We keep talking about the leagues around the world, if you look at the IPL it is in a different ecosystem and different league, the Big Bash in Australia does very well, The Hundred does very well in the UK and I see the South Africa league doing very well, I have been watching it for last three weeks,” he said at a Sportstar event.
“The common thing among all these leagues is that they are in countries where cricket is popular. So I believe over a period of time, four five years, it is going to get to stage very few will exist and I know which ones will exist.
“Certain (leagues) will remain and certain will move away because players will realise it is not that important. Right now they are new and everyone wants to be part of it so you see the rush.
“But ultimately it will get back to a stage where the country will be as important as the league because only a few will survive because of the ecosystem.”
