By IANS
Melbourne : Australia’s cricketers would like to represent their home teams in the global Champions League even if they sign with the multimillion-dollar Indian Premier League, an Australian media report says. They have expressed a preference to play for their state teams should they qualify for the global Champions League.
More than 80 percent of players surveyed by their union said they would like to represent an Indian franchise in the IPL because of the impressive financial rewards and the opportunity to play internationally, The Age reports.
But under the soccer-style Champions League concept, the two best provincial Twenty20 sides from Australia, India, South Africa and England will play off for a $2 million prize.
Former Australian opener Justin Langer, for instance, could represent Western Australia in the domestic Big Bash competition, Somerset in county cricket and an Indian franchise in the IPL. Asked where a player’s allegiance should lie if all three progressed to the Champions League, 78 percent answered “his home state”.
Players were also lukewarm about Australian states importing guest stars from overseas and paying them from the Player Payment Pool, with 77 percent saying they would not support such a move. Nor did state players believe they should have the ability to represent another Australian team should their own not progress to the Champions League.
“It shows the importance to the players of the state competitions. The players have great pride and loyalty towards their states and, whilst it might be financially beneficial for them, the thought of going and playing for a different state in effectively the same competition just doesn’t sit well with the players,” said Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Paul Marsh.
Cricket Australia is preparing a business model for the Champions League, which was last night described by a spokesman as “a work in progress”. The spokesman said there was an element of players wanting “cake and eating it too”, but their responses illustrated the different priorities of the Indian franchise system and Australia’s domestic competitions.