I Know There Are Indian Cricketers Who Would Love To Play In 'The Hundred' And Other Leagues - Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan, captain of the England cricket team in limited-over format, says that there are Indian players who would want to participate in ‘The Hundred’, which is ECB’s new concept for 100-ball per innings contest. The tournament was scheduled for last year but was postponed to 2021 owing to the pandemic.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not allow any Indian player, contracted or non-contracted, to play any franchise cricket outside India. Earlier off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had to withdraw his name from The Hundred’s draft as he was contracted with the IPL.

The likes of Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, and Sandeep Tyagi have been granted NOC to feature in overseas leagues only after they had retired from all cricket – international, IPL, domestic – in India.

Eoin Morgan, without naming any player said that some of the Indian players would love to play in the franchise leagues around the world and experience different conditions.

“Just having conversations out here about ‘The Hundred’, I know that there are Indian cricketers out here who would love to play in The Hundred and other competitions around the world. They love travelling and experiencing new conditions and cultures, and they would add huge value to a tournament like that,” Eoin Morgan told Sky Sports.

Franchise leagues around the world will become more dominant: Eoin Morgan

The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper reckons franchise cricket will dominate in the decade to come and the ICC should pay heed to cricket boards that are losing players to the glitz of white-ball cricket. Teams like West Indies have suffered a lot as their players have opted to play in the T20 leagues over playing for West Indies.

“My biggest worry is that the game isn’t changing and accommodating the pace at which it is growing. It is definitely an area of concern and one that needs improvement going forward because you play against countries and some aren’t able to play their best XIs because they are competing against big leagues around the world.

“Whoever is in charge needs to think about what that looks like in 10 years’ time because if they don’t manage it, franchise leagues around the world will become more dominant,” the 2019 World Cup-winning captain stated.

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