Cricket Australia’s answer to IPL?

Cricket Australia's answer to IPL?

In obvious reaction to the colossal success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Cricket Australia is about to embark on the most revolutionary undertaking in the history of its cricket since Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.

After dragging its feet for years, Cricket Australia (CA) has seemingly gone overboard in approving a new Twenty20 competition that is patently intended to be its answer to the IPL and a bid to rival the popularity of the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Football League (AFL) as summer sports.

The concept envisages a major expansion in the size of the domestic Twenty20 competition from 17 to 31 games, necessitating reduction of the time-honoured Sheffield Shield from 10 games to eight.

New city-based Twenty20 teams, each with new colours, new branding and a new identity, from places like the Gold Coast, Geelong and Western Sydney, far north Queensland, Canberra and Central Victoria, are being considered for participation.

The teams will be designed and marketed to create a tribe-like following, particularly among young fans.

In all probability, the new T20 competition will replace the existing Big Bash from 2011-12.

Former Australia captain and Indian coach Greg Chappell, who is now head coach at Australia's centre of excellence, said yesterday he believes the revamped Twenty20 league is the way of the future and will develop more cricketers to elite status.

Chappell said the expansion would bring Australia in line with India and England, where the T20 game is booming.

However, Chappell is opposed to any move to shorten the Sheffield Shield season since, in his opinion, the four-day game helps develop players for Tests.

"Four-day cricket is a very important part of our development process and even for developing players to play short-form cricket," he said.