Year-round franchise contracts would be "nirvana" for IPL owners

Venky Mysore, the Kolkata Knight Riders chief executive, wants to tie down the game's top stars to 12-month deals in what would be a considerable shift for the sport

A prominent Indian Premier League administrator has indicated a desire to sign players on 12-month contracts to compete for a stable of franchises around the world.

Venky Mysore, the Kolkata Knight Riders chief executive, wants to tie down the game's top stars to year-round deals in what would be a considerable shift for the sport. 

The Knight Riders ownership also has control of the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, as well as teams in the new UAE T20 - which will have its first season in January - and the Major League Cricket project in the USA, which is scheduled to launch in 2023. 

^{IPL owners would relish the chance to tie players to 12-month contracts [Getty Images]}

Within Mysore's plans, superstars who play for Knight Riders would be associated to the franchises under one single contract, rather than the combination of negotiations, auctions and drafts which currently make up the selection processes in the various T20 leagues. 

He told the Telegraph: "In an ideal world, sure - because that gives us the opportunity to make our vision and our strategy even stronge.

"If we were able to have X number of contracted players, and were able to use them all in different leagues, I think that would be nirvana. Hopefully, someday it will happen. I wouldn't be surprised if it did."

With IPL owners having bought all of the new franchises in South Africa's latest attempt at a domestic T20 tournament, and following the massive IPL broadcast rights auction earlier this year, the direction of travel for global domestic cricket appears to be becoming increasingly clear.

One stumbling block to Mysore's vision is the small number of leagues which currently do not offer private investment opportunities - most significantly the Big Bash in Australia and The Hundred in England.

^{The Knight Riders group own four franchises, including Trinbago in the CPL [Getty Images]}

Naturally, he would support any change of heart made by Cricket Australia or the ECB.

"Our immediate reaction to any such proposal is to say, yeah, we are absolutely interested because this is part of our strategy. Whether it is the Big Bash or the Hundred, although we understand the challenges these leagues face in inviting private investments," he said.

"Wherever we have gone, we've made it successful for the mutual benefit of the league as well as the Knight Riders. When a proposal comes to us it's because they understand the value that the Knight Riders brand brings with it and the entire package that comes with it - we know how to build those brands."