Mohsin Naqvi Jay Shah for PCB and ICC. Image Credits: AFP
Franchise cricket has been on the rise over the last few years, with new leagues emerging across the world and cramping up the cricketing calendar. This T20 revolution began with the IPL in 2008 — the longest-standing franchise league in the world.
Following the financial and sporting success that IPL brought to the BCCI and Indian cricket, almost every major cricketing nation introduced its own T20 league. Right now, IPL is the only one that gets a significantly long window when there is close to no international cricket scheduled, and players are solely focused on it.
In most other cases, leagues coincide with international assignments and due to lucrative contracts, players have begun to opt out of international cricket and prioritise leagues. As freelancers, players can also pick and choose the times of the year they want to play, whilst earning enough money.
ICC has taken note of these situations and expressed its intentions to take major steps to ensure the co-existence of franchise leagues and international cricket. This could mean some competitions might face bans, so players turn up to represent their countries during those windows. So, here’s a look at the leagues that could be in the firing line of the ICC.
Franchise Leagues That Can Face Bans From ICC
1. Bangladesh Premier League
As revealed by the current Bangladesh Cricket Board president, Tamim Iqbal, there have been severe financial irregularities in the Bangladesh Premier League in the 2025/26 season. Both domestic and overseas players have also openly protested against the owners for non-payments during the tournaments, casting a shadow over the league.
Additionally, Bangladesh cricket, including BPL, has seen several alleged match-fixing incidents in the last couple of years, putting the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit on alert.
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This tournament is also played in a busy period of the international calendar, also going up against the BBL and SA20. Hence, if the ICC decides to disband leagues, the BPL could be in the firing line, with the BCB bearing the brunt of the decision.
2. Global T20 Canada
Canada Cricket is under intense scrutiny following the match-fixing scandal in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The board is also currently suspended by the ICC amid ongoing investigations into alleged theft and fraud involving its CEO.
The corruption has significantly hampered cricket’s development in the country and, by extension, the ICC’s ambitions to globalise it. Also, there have been older cases when players refused to take the field for matches due to unpaid wages.
Until the issues over ICC membership are resolved, the international governing body could consider disbanding the tournament.
3. Lanka Premier League
The Lankan Premier League is set to return in July and August 2026 after it faced multiple postponements in 2025. Sri Lanka Cricket prioritised focusing on the redevelopment of venues and infrastructure for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Over the years, LPL has faced financial instability, with franchises failing to meet their contractual obligations. Recently, they also terminated the team owners of Jaffna Kings and Colombo Strikers for the same. This competition also collides with The Hundred in England and a couple of other international series, which is detrimental for TV revenues as well.
It is also among the leagues with the lowest brand valuation in franchise cricket and to prioritise players’ availability for international cricket, just a month after the IPL, SLC could face troubles in continuing the competition.
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