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The ICC has SCRAPPED the plans of introducting a Global T20 franchise competition, like the old Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), after protest from India, Australia, and England.
Champions League T20 would have seen franchises from many countries compete against each other.
In a significant development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has scrapped the plans for the return of a global franchise T20 competition, to the tune of the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), after opposition from cricket’s big three, India, Australia, and England. According to The Guardian, the ICC won’t introduce the competition or any other multilateral tournament until 2031.
The CLT20 was an international club franchise cricket tournament held between 2009 and 2014, which saw the best teams from leagues like the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League, among others, compete against each other. It was ultimately scrapped because of low viewership, poor commercial returns, and unsustainable financial losses.
However, observers now see the tournament as having come a bit ahead of its time, and the modern era, with more established T20 competitions, was seen as the perfect time to bring it back. For the ICC, which doesn’t earn anything from the private T20 franchise leagues around the world, it was seen as an opportunity to take control of the game and increase its revenues.
The ICC saw it as its own version of the FIFA Club World Cup, which has been successful, even though quite controversial. The report said the ICC also wanted to introduce quadrangular T20 competitions in bilateral windows. However, India, Australia and England’s boards, which control most of cricket’s revenues, were ‘adamant’ that there was no space in the calendar for additional events.
The only way, in the big three’s opinion, for the return of a CLT20-style competition was a cut-down on other ICC competitions, like the World Cups and the Champions Trophy. The stalemate means that the upcoming Future Tours Programme for the 2027-2031 cycle will be almost identical to the latest one, with the only possible change being an expanded World Test Championship.
India-England-Australia not giving up power
The ICC wants to introduce more tournaments because it believes that it’s set to lose a good share of commercial revenue when the new media rights are introduced. Indian broadcasters, which provide the board with a huge share of that revenue, are cutting down on that investment.
So, the ICC wants to invest in other avenues and grow the game, but the big three’s refusal suggests they are not willing to give up the control they currently have. The status quo gives them a better chance to grow their incomes through T20 competitions and the power to decide the trajectory of the sport.
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Ask News18The ICC scrapped the tournament plans after facing firm opposition and protests from cricket’s big three: India, England, and Australia. Their boards argued that there is simply no space in the crowded cricket calendar for additional events unless other existing ICC competitions are reduced.
Ask News18October 05, 2026, 15:56 IST
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