IPL Chair Issues 'Football' Culture As Biggest Threat To Cricket’s Future

Arun Dhumal shared about the future of cricket [Source: X and AFP]

IPL chairperson Arun Dhumal has issued a stark warning about the direction cricket is heading. In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz Global, he cautioned that if franchise leagues keep growing unchecked, the sport could soon mirror football’s club-first structure.

In that scenario, international bilateral cricket, especially Test matches, would steadily lose relevance. While he believes there is still substantial love for the longest format, he stressed that cricket’s powerbrokers must acknowledge the shifting scenario and plan accordingly before it is too late.

The Growing Pull of Franchise Cricket In India With IPL

Cricket is already witnessing the early signs of a football-style transformation. In football, club competitions such as the English Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League generate enormous revenues, often dwarfing international fixtures outside the World Cup and European Championship.

Players spend the bulk of their year with clubs like Manchester City or Real Madrid, and the biggest stars prioritise club glory and contracts over national team duty.

Cricket is now treading a similar path. The Indian Premier League offers life-changing salaries for two months of work, and new leagues such as SA20, Major League Cricket, The Hundred, and the ILT20 have created a year-round franchise circuit.

Players from smaller nations increasingly retire early from international cricket to become T20 freelancers. Fan attention is also tilting towards franchise tournaments, where high-octane matches and packed stadiums deliver the kind of entertainment that many bilateral international series struggle to match.

Arun Dhumal Asks To Prepare for a Football-Like Future

Speaking candidly to RevSportz Global, Dhumal laid out the reality that cricket’s administrators would have to adapt in the coming years, if not very soon.

“I still think there is a lot of love for Test cricket. The India-England Test series in England last year captured the imagination of fans, and people were invested in seeing how it unfolded. There remains significant scope for Test cricket. We simply need to work out how best to utilise it,” Dhumal told Boria Majumdar.

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The Financial Muscle Drive

He then turned to the financial engine driving the shift which is slowly giving rise to the franchise cricket that everyone loves watching.

“Broadcasters are the most important stakeholders. They hold both BCCI and IPL rights, and we have seen that every cricketing nation wants a series against India because it helps monetise the game. Money is important.

During the COVID period, we did our duty diligently because cricket needed to survive and grow globally. However, there is a limit to how much bilateral cricket India can play. That is why we have seen the rise of competitions such as the Big Bash, The Hundred and SA20.

Many Associate nations that do not even have ODI status are launching leagues. If cricket follows football’s path, we need to be prepared for that reality because, ultimately, it is the fans and broadcasters who fund the game,” Dhumal said.

Why Test Cricket Faces the Biggest Threat?

In the football model, international fixtures outside major tournaments have become secondary to club football for many players and fans.

Dhumal’s worry is that bilateral Test cricket is uniquely exposed to the same fate. A Test series can stretch over several weeks, is physically demanding, and outside of marquee contests like The Ashes or an India-Australia series, often generates limited revenue.

Franchise leagues can offer players more money in a shorter, less exhausting window. If top cricketers begin prioritising league contracts over national duty, boards will have little choice but to schedule fewer Tests.

While events such as the ICC World Test Championship Final still get attention, the broader Test calendar could shrink, leaving only a handful of wealthy nations able to sustain the format.

What the Future Holds for the Game

Cricket will not become an exact replica of football, because its biggest spectacles are still international tournaments. The ICC Cricket World Cup, the T20 World Cup, and iconic Test rivalries often attract more global interest than franchise leagues outside the IPL.

However, the balance of power is tilting. A realistic future sees franchise T20 cricket dominating the sport’s revenue and player workloads, while international cricket works primarily through ICC events and a handful of elite bilateral Test series. 

Dhumal’s message is not a prediction of doom but a call to prepare for what might become a reality in the distant future.

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