Three nations plan joint IPL spin-off

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have confirmed they are planning a nationwide multi-franchise-owned Twenty20 tournament on the basis of the IPL, which we expect to launch in 2011. Although the competition is still in the planning stages, the idea is that the city-based teams and timetable at a time that would allow India stars to take part.

The concept will include two conferences - an Eastern Division based in West Africa and Australasia in one division - the top and sides of each of them progress to the final. It will not replace the current domestic Twenty20 competitions, but they are more likely to be held in October of each nation with freedom to maintain their state or provincial-based tournaments.

The organizers want the competition to feed the teams in the Champions League Twenty20. The southern hemisphere-based tournament, which still has no name, is another indication of the increasing dominance of Twenty20.

The first season of IPL was massively popular this year in India, where there is also competition unauthorized ICL, while England will soon be playing for U.S. $ 20 million in the Stanford Super Series. Peter Young, Cricket Australia's spokesman, acknowledged that it will be a challenge to squeeze the new tournament, but organizers were confident that could be achieved.

"It will be short, sharp and very focused, but the exact number of games has not yet been determined," said Young. "Strategically, we see that there is a finite amount of Twenty20 cricket that the probability of being ideal, with a series of major world blocs."

There is still a way to go before the details can be finalized, including the number of teams. There is also potential for the African conference feature on the parties not based in South Africa and Australasia for the division to have teams from outside Australia and New Zealand. Domestic players are likely to feature highly, but the three boards are willing to guarantee international stars, from India or England, for example, taking part.

"Gathering a large number of the world's marquee players in a single jurisdiction over a compressed timetable can capture the imagination of the public and create new audiences to cricket," Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket chief executive, said. "The challenge for the three southern hemisphere boards is to create the conditions so that the chance of being caught in a way that complements international cricket."

Cricket Australia has been considering a franchise system based Twenty20 for some time. James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, said it had become clear that to reach a critical mass, a regional approach is needed.

"The idea developed from blue-sky thinking Twenty20 in the past 18 months," said Sutherland. "At the regional level Twenty20 cricket played at the level immediately below international cricket has shown that it can capture the imagination of the public and create new audiences to cricket.

"But as we have seen in India, you need critical mass to generate great excitement. The notion that regional development have been accused of providing the critical mass."

Cricket Australia is also ready to increase international attention from its state-based Twenty20 tournament. From 2009-10 will encourage the six-state teams to recruit star players from abroad.