In cricket, there is enough for almost everyone nowadays. The riches brought in by the Indian Premier League into the cricketing world have had a cascading effect on the way the game is played, run and consumed.

While we can debate endlessly about the actual quality of cricket, there can be no denying that everyone involved with the sport is much better off now than at any other point.

Top players in the world get fat contracts, multiple endorsement deals and an obscene amount of cash to play for a few weeks in the various T20 leagues across the globe, the IPL being the top of the pile.

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A player like Mahendra Singh Dhoni regularly finds his name in the Forbes list for highest earning athletes. But that’s not the end of the story.

Now, even those on the fringes and struggling to keep themselves in the public memory are getting opportunities to earn a decent living while playing the game they love.

If you have played a fair amount of international cricket and are still not considered good enough to earn an IPL or Big Bash contract, you can certainly hope to play in the Bangladesh or Caribbean Premier League.

And those missing out on even that have another avenue, even if it is not competitive cricket in the strictest sense. I am talking about the Masters Champions League.

The tournament is supposed to be a platform for retired players to showcase their T20 skills to the fans. But when the player list for the six franchises was announced, it threw up quite a few surprises.

What caught many fans off guard was the simple fact that some of the cricketers on it were international players not too long ago and had not even hinted at retirement.

 

 

Last time I checked, Shivnarine Chanderpaul said he wanted to fight his way back into the West Indies Test team. And now we find him in the Gemini Arabians squad, snapped up for $30,000. 

West Indies quick Fidel Edwards is only 33 and still bowling quick. Some consider him worthy of a return to the international fold. But now he is set to turn out for Leo Lions.

So that must mean his international career is over. Didn’t hear anything from Fidel on that matter either.

Then there is South African all-rounder Ryan McLaren. Until last season, he was seen as a reliable replacement for the retired Jacques Kallis.

He was close to becoming a permanent member of the ODI side but after being overlooked for this year’s World Cup, the 32-year-old went off the radar. Next year, he will be playing for Capricorn Commanders.

The MCL roster is filled with names of players who were in contention for a spot in their national teams some time back or had slipped under the radar and were on the verge of being forgotten.

So instead of announcing their retirement and looking for greener pastures, quite a few of them have simply moved to a different platform.

Sadly, what this could result in is a host of players who are struggling to make the cut at the highest level calling it quits and joining the ranks of MCL.

 

 

While the league is a great initiative, it could very well rob us of the joy of a glorious comeback by a veteran. And more importantly, teams like the West Indies, New Zealand and even South Africa might witness a greater talent drain. What’s worse, the players will be lost forever unless they change the league rules next year.

It’s heartening to see those involved with cricket prospering and not having to face tough times like former New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan who had to apply for the job of a salesman two seasons after playing in the 2003 World Cup.

The path being taken by cricketers nowadays is good for them but doesn’t look like benefitting the game as a whole. It’s just another by-product of the ever-changing world orchestrated by Twenty20. 

BCCI’S UNIQUE WAYS

The current administration at the BCCI is extremely eager to set its house in order and project a clean image. Thus the statements by BCCI and ICC chief Shashank Manohar about diluting the powers of the big three boards (India, Australia and England) and eradicating all instances of conflict of interest.

But at home, the Indian board is proving to be far from accommodating. So intent are the board officials on distancing themselves from former boss N Srinivasan, they have decided not to allot a single 2016 World T20 game to his home venue – Chennai.

 

 

There are a few issues pertaining to a few stands at Chepauk but the venue in itself is iconic and didn’t deserve such treatment.

What’s more, the cricketing outpost of Dharamsala has bagged the coveted India-Pakistan match even though the venue capacity is just over 20,000 and there is a paucity of decent hotels at the hill station.

Maybe the fact that Dharamsala is the bastion of the board’s secretary Anurag Thakur was a factor. Just goes to show some things never change.