The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) plans to increase players’ salaries by 100 percent. The tournament’s franchises are understood to be able to offer players multi-year deals worth up to £300,000 per season if the governing body approves the tournament’s overhaul, according to ESPNCricinfo.
The data also claimed England and Wales Cricket Board also considering lobbying the UK Home Office. This is because a percentage of franchises want to play a fourth overseas player in their playing XI. Currently, only three players are allowed in the XI.
The ECB has been actively involved in Percent over the past few months. They started selling their franchise shares, and they told prospective investors that their total payroll could increase by more than 80% next year. If the deals go through, the teams’ spending on wages for men’s and women’s players and coaches is expected to rise from £1.9m to more than £3.5m a year.
If the ECB’s initial plans go ahead, the top salaries in the men’s 100s could rise from £125,000 to £300,000 and the women’s 100s from £50,000 to £100,000 before the 2025 season. This would mean the league’s salary expenditure would be second only to the IPL among men’s leagues and second only to the WPL among women’s leagues.
The reports also added that the ECB wants to revamp its recruitment model. This will allow each franchise to sign up to six direct overseas players – three men and three women – on multi-year deals.
We’re left behind – ECB Sales Manager Vikram Banerjee The Hundred
Vikram Banerjee, who runs the sales process at ECB, admitted that Hundred Leagues are lagging behind other leagues. He admitted that some top players should be paid more and they have not been able to do so. Speaking to the Business of Sport podcast, he said:
“We are the sixth highest paid player in the men’s game. If we don’t act now, we’re about to finish seventh – we won’t. 15th pick in a 15-man squad, with all due respect, no need to pay big bucks.
They can be up and coming players,” he said. “That’s what you have to pay to get the best three or four players (on each team) to put in their time and effort to be there and we’ve been left behind. “
Under the ECB’s plans, each team in the Top 100 will be able to sign a player from England on a multi-year contract, worth around £100,000 in the women’s competition and £250,000 in the men’s.
The reports also claimed that although plans have been finalized and discussed with investors, they will not be implemented until 2026. If four overseas players are allowed in every XI, Hundred will be on the same page as IPL, WPL, PSL. and SA20.
