High Hopes for English Premier League
After seeing the immediate success of the KFC T20 Big Bash, the English Cricket Board has decided to impliment a new competition to capitalise on the growing market for Franchise based Twenty20. The new, 15-team English Premier League is set to contain the finest players from England and abroad in a star-studded thriller of a competition at the height of summer.
"In the last couple of years, there has been definite Twenty20 overkill," says expert Mike Selvey, a writer from the Guardian. "This new format will pit the best players in the country against each other in an exciting competition that is simply made for the media-driven 21st century." With million-pound teams in every corner of the UK, it is clear to see what the public interest is focussed on. However, some people doubt the long term viability of the competition.
The top grounds in England have all been guarenteed franchises, but this could mean heartache for the smaller stadiums across the country.
This new look league may end up alienating as many people as it excites, with some county grounds like Chelmsford, Derby, Canterbury and Worcester finding themselves without teams, these county cricket boards could find themselves in even deeper financial trouble than before. The ECB is handing out compensation to those grounds affected by being omitted from the fixture list, but only a successful tournament can possibly silence the critics who say that the ECB has moved away from everything the public holds dear.