Aussie players targeted in shock $5 million move

Indian Premier League teams have reportedly held informal talks with the managers of Australian players to gauge their interest in year-round contracts that would see them walk away from their Cricket Australia deals.

In what’s been labelled a seismic shift in the game, Australian players could be paid up to $5 million to commit to their IPL franchise for 12 months a year.

As well as the Indian Premier League itself, the franchises have a stake in teams in other domestic leagues around the world, such as the Caribbean Premier League.

READ MORE: Late Manly legend’s daughter’s parting swipe for club after axing

READ MORE: Socceroos protest against World Cup host Qatar

READ MORE: Question that brought Indigenous netball star to tears

The Age reports that there is currently little interest from the Australian players, although that is likely to change as they get closer to the end of their international careers.

Players would still require No Objection Certificates (NOC) from CA to play in overseas T20 competitions.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell told Wide World of Sports earlier this year that CA faces a real problem dealing with the rapidly evolving T20 landscape.

“I think a lot of the older players will get offers from that area, and that will be a real challenge for nations like Australia who have a lot of good players, and also for nations that can’t afford to pay their players the best rates,” Chappell said.

The money on offer in overseas T20 leagues has been a developing issue in Australian cricket for some time. In August, Chris Lynn signed an unprecedented deal with the Adelaide Strikers BBL team, that will also allow him to play in a rival T20 competition in the UAE.

Lynn, the leading run-scorer in Big Bash League history, will play 11 of Adelaide’s 14 games before departing for the new UAE ILT20 competition.

The boss of IPL giants Kolkota Knight Riders recently said that in an “ideal world” players would be contracted to their franchises for 12 months a year, potentially leading cricket down the ‘club vs country’ path that rules football.

Any move by IPL sides to sign up a group of international stars could also lead cricket down the path that has split golf in the last year, with Greg Norman’s LIV Golf now offering a competition for players to earn more for playing less, as an alternative to the PGA Tour.

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here

T20 World Cup danger men: Mohammad Rizwan, Hardik Pandya, Adam Zampa among the guns to watch