NPL is here but who started franchise model cricket?

As we gear up for the Nepal Premier League (NPL), the excitement is growing by the day. And why not? This time, the stage is bigger than ever, featuring over 30 foreign players, many of whom have international experience.

The epicenter of this cricketing spectacle is the TU Cricket Ground, nestled in the heart of the Kathmandu Valley. Surrounded by majestic hills and mountains, this charming stadium has recently undergone a stunning makeover, leaving cricket fans eager to fill the seats. For those who miss out on the stands, the lush green grass will undoubtedly provide a cozy spot to enjoy the matches in this pleasant winter weather.

As eight teams battle it out for the coveted silverware, we can’t help but reflect on how franchise cricket began worldwide. Franchise cricket has offered hope to those who dream of pursuing the sport seriously. In the past, cricket was largely confined to matches between the eight Test-playing nations. Associate nations had limited opportunities, appearing only sporadically in tournaments like the World Cup, Champions Trophy, or Asia Cup. Until recently, T20 cricket was played almost exclusively in England, and the World Cup occurred only once every four years.

I will be discussing the birth of the T20 format in another article. This one, however, is about the birth of T20 franchise cricket. Many might assume that the Indian Premier League (IPL) was the pioneer of the franchise T20 league format. However, the credit for starting the first-ever T20 franchise cricket league goes to the ICL (Indian Cricket League). Sounds familiar, right? The ICL was formed before the IPL came onto the scene.

Kapil Dev, hailed as a hero and the only Indian captain to win the Cricket World Cup at the time, served as the chairman of the ICL. The league was born out of discontent over TV rights with the BCCI. Despite Zee Group offering the highest bid for broadcasting Indian cricket matches, the deal was rejected by the board. In response, Zee Group decided to form its own league—just as Kerry Packer had done in the 1970s.

Though the ICL didn’t send shockwaves across the cricketing world, it certainly caused a stir within the BCCI and ICC. The format itself was revolutionary, introducing city-based franchise teams—a concept that was unheard of at the time. This trend, which began with the ICL, laid the foundation for what the world now embraces: franchise-based leagues. From the IPL to the Big Bash, PSL, and Caribbean Premier League, every major T20 cricket tournament today owes its existence to the franchise cricket model first popularized by the ICL and later perfected by the IPL.

It’s no surprise that the BCCI would never have welcomed, let alone allowed, the ICL to operate in their own backyard. They swiftly took action, announcing a lifetime ban on Kapil Dev and barring all cricketers who participated in the rebel league. Players like Ambati Rayudu and Stuart Binny, who joined the ICL, were also banned. Moreover, the BCCI prohibited all stadiums under their control from being used for ICL matches.

Despite these obstacles, the tournament began and ran for merely two and a half years. It gained popularity during its first season, but everything changed when Lalit Modi announced a similar tournament—the IPL—which mimicked the ICL’s format. This marked the beginning of the ICL’s downfall. With declining viewership and growing competition from the IPL, the ICL and its rebel cricketing dream faded away after just a couple of years.

However, we must not overlook the significant impact the ICL had in shaping the franchise league concept into a global phenomenon. Without the birth of the ICL, one might wonder if the IPL would even exist today. The IPL’s inception was, in many ways, a direct counter-punch to the ICL. While the IPL is now a multi-billion-dollar sporting event, a small portion of the credit surely belongs to the ICL for being the first to introduce this revolutionary concept.