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In a major move, the England Cricket Board (ECB) reportedly prohibited its players from playing in franchise leagues such as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) if they conflicted with the domestic summer. The ECB made the decision because it believed it would protect domestic cricket's quality. According to a Telegraph story, the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most lucrative cricket league in the world, is exempt from the restriction, which is applicable to all franchise events.
Although some are worried that elite players would quit playing red-ball cricket to play in franchise competitions, the ECB thinks the move will raise the standard of domestic cricket. As a result, the decision could have a significant effect on England Cricket.
According to a previous report by The Telegraph, unless a player has a white-ball contract, the ECB intends to discontinue giving NOCs to its players for franchise leagues that conflict with domestic cricket. In addition, the England board will not allow players to play in other leagues if they conflict with the T20 Blast or the Hundred. The players would not be permitted to participate in competitions that are suspected of being corrupt, and the board also prohibited cricket players from "double-dipping," which is the practice of withdrawing from one competition and entering another at the same time.
Since franchise leagues are a huge source of revenue for the players, the decision has put them in serious jeopardy. While the Caribbean Premier League starts in late August, the T20 Blast and Hundred 2025 will face Major League Cricket, Canada's Global T20 League, and Sri Lanka's Premier League.
It was feared that several of England's top cricket players may skip domestic matches to play in the T20 league, however, the players are in a difficult position following the ECB suspension. The PSL 2025 is scheduled for April. Furthermore, players from other T20 leagues who do not play first-class cricket will not be permitted to skip domestic white-ball matches. Jason Roy missed Surrey's T20 Blast matches this season in order to play in the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket. In order to play in the Lanka Premier League, Alex Hales had to miss Blast games for Nottinghamshire.
"We need to protect the integrity of our sport and the strength of our competitions in England and Wales as well. This policy gives clarity to players and professional counties around our approach to issuing No Objection Certificates. It will enable us to strike the right balance between supporting players who want to take up opportunities to earn and gain experience, while also protecting the integrity of cricket globally, ensuring we don’t undermine our own ECB competitions, and managing the welfare of centrally contracted England players," said Richard Gould, ECB chief executive as quoted by the Telegraph.
