http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864 calls for IPL like Flt20 tournament – Cricket News Update
Terming England’s Friends Life T20 tournament, as an old fashioned event, the legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has called for an IPL-inspired Twenty20 league.
Murali, who is all set to begin his second Flt20 season with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gloucestershire-c785 County Cricket Club, has suggested the England and Wales Cricket Board to adopt the franchise format, introduced by their Indian counterparts in the esteemed
Indian Premier League (IPL).
"They introduced it worldwide but now England is old-fashioned," the record-breaking Sri Lankan spinner told BBC Points West on Wednesday.
"They need to change and become franchised teams and each county would benefit financially. If it happens like that it would be huge in England. I think the market is there, and the TV rights will come," he added further.
The ECB introduced the first ever domestic Twenty20 tournament, Friends Life T20, back in 2003 where all the 18 English counties compete, initially in their respective groups and then in the knock out stage, consisting of quarterfinals,
semi-finals and the grand final. The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 cricket board insists that the English T20 league is the most successful, but the Sri Lankan spin wizard argued that the Flt20 has now fallen behind the IPL, as not even the England players get a chance to play
the complete tournament, due to a hectic international schedule.
"http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 has merged into eight franchises…I think England should also do that and it could equal IPL," reckoned Muralitharan, who played for Royal
Challengers Bangalore in the recently concluded season five of cash rich Indian Premier League.
“It’d be one of the best things to happen if they do that. It will make sure the competition is more successful than what it is now," he added further.
Muralitharan is the only overseas player Gloucestershire will have this season, as Kevin O’Brien has signed a deal with their fiercest rivals Somerset.
The latest edition of the Friends Life T20 tournament kicked off yesterday with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Leicestershire-c807 by six wickets in the opening game at Leicester. Gloucestershire will open their 2012 Flt20 campaign on Thursday,
June 14 with a match against nemesis http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Somerset-c843 at Bristol.
Tags: