XtraTime Web Desk: Can we see the Indian cricketers taking part in England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) ambitious ‘The Hundred’ tournament next summer. It is too early to say but an initiative has started to get the star studded Indian cricketers appear in ‘The Hundred’ next summer in England.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison has been quoted in the British press saying that the English board has been in talks with BCCI to release Indian players for its ambitious 100-balls-per-side tournament. India doesn’t allow its cricketers to participate in overseas T20 tournaments.
“We want something that has global relevance, real commercial power, something that the whole game has ownership of and that reduces our reliance on international cricket, which is currently responsible for more than 90 per cent of our revenue,” Harrison told The Cricketer.
Oakwell Sports Advisory, a consultancy group, which is associated with ‘The Hundred’ has suggested the ECB to get the leading Indian players to participate as there is a huge diaspora of Indian population based in the UK.
In a report entitled The Impact of Covid-19 on English Cricket, Oakwell states: “The Hundred needs to be able to attract Indian players and subsequently an Indian fanbase, too. The Indian subcontinent constitutes 90% of the 1 billion cricket fans aged 16-69 globally.
“Indian investment into the Hundred, including from IPL team owners, may facilitate the involvement of Indian players in the longer term. In addition to generating revenue out of India, this would be vital in unlocking the south-Asian UK-based fanbase.”
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is reportedly keen on investing in ‘The Hundred’ if the competition turns towards private investment next year. According to a report in Telegraph Sport, KKR chief executive Venky Mysore has expressed interest in potentially investing in the UK-based competition, iterating their plans of seeking opportunities to “invest in cricket globally.”
‘The Hundred’, which was scheduled this July-August had to be deferred to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. ECB will look forward to the support extended by BCCI so as to recover the huge financial loss.