The T20 World Cup is over. But T20 cricket, like the desert sand, is relentless. There is always so much more to come.
Next week, 18 teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) will kickstart the franchise cycle of 2026. That’s almost as many teams that participated in the recent T20 World Cup.
The World Cup turned out to be more entertaining, well attended and widely watched than even the most hopeful organisers had anticipated.
According to the International Cricket Council, the final alone had peak reach of 72 million concurrent streams globally – a record. By the semi-finals stage, a total of 23 billion minutes of World Cup cricket had been consumed globally. They are massive numbers.
The PSL and the IPL, which begin on Thursday and Saturday respectively, will therefore have to up their game to match the drama that was on display during the ICC event. Not that the two franchise tournaments need added motivation to put their best foot forward.
Since the last season, the two tournaments have found themselves on opposing ends. The Pakistan board decided to move out of their earlier winter slot and permanently shift to the early summer section of the calendar.
That is a big no-no for all other cricket events because that slot is basically reserved for the IPL. But the PSL decided it was better to take on one big event in the fight for eyeballs rather than two or three other events in a cramped winter schedule.
It is a dangerous game because most of the top franchise cricketers not only get the biggest contracts at the IPL, quite a few players are signed by off-shoots of IPL teams in other leagues.
Still, not every franchise cricketer gets an Indian contract, so there is just about enough room for the IPL and PSL to go along simultaneously.
Money matters
The Indian league is one of the most valuable commodities in the world of sport, with an overall worth approaching $20 billion. IPL's broadcast rights of over $6bn outmatch anything else crciket has to offer.
But PSL is not holding back. For the first time, the tournament held a player auction where top players received salaries ranging from $250,000 to half a million dollars. If you adjust the duration of the two leagues – the IPL goes on for well over two months and the PSL ends in a month - the gap in the salaries of players in both leagues is not as vast as it was before.
This time, a lot of money has been pumped into the Pakistan tournament. Two new franchises have been added – Hyderabad and Rawalpindi, taking the roster to eight teams – while the league signed a new broadcast deal of nearly $100 million which was the biggest in its decade-long history.
But a considerable gap persists. That the IPL holds the upper hand in cricket became clear when Zimbabwe bowler Blessing Muzarabani opted out of his PSL contract for Islamabad United after securing a deal in the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders. Last year as well, South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch cancelled his PSL deal to play for Mumbai Indians.
And as if to underscore the financial might of the IPL, news has emerged of Royal Challengers Bengaluru courting bids of over $2bn for the rights to their franchise. IPL owners have also extended their reach deep into the Hundred competition in the UK as well - which begins in the summer - underlining the power that has permeated to leagues in the Caribbean, South Africa, UAE and UK.
Geo-political factors
Last year, both leagues were suspended following a brief but intense war between India and Pakistan. This time, the tournaments begin in the shadow of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has already impacted day-to-day life across the globe.
The rising price of oil, rationing of gas in other parts of the globe and uncertainty over air travel have made this season particularly challenging.
How both leagues navigate the growing logistical and organisational issues will have a huge bearing on the success of their events. And that is without accounting for any unexpected spill-over from ongoing regional conflicts.
The IPL organisers have already highlighted the expected shortage of commercial cooking gas in India as a major concern.
Last season, cricket got a taste of how fragile the whole system can become when war breaks out. This time, they will have to get the show up and running even as the world around them is feeling the strain of aconflict which impacts everything from travel and business to security, and even the household kitchen.
In 2026, the fight is not just between the IPL and PSL, but also between the IPL, PSL and the challenging times we live in.
