The ramifications of the new tournament to run alongside the T20 blast was finally brought to a vote where 38 of the 41 members voted in favour of bringing in the new event. Only Essex and Middlesex voted against it, with Kent abstaining.
With television viewing figures and crowd participation in huge demand overseas, in franchise successes in Australia with the Big Bash and in India with the IPL, ECB chairman, Colin Graves was delighted with the result and the future of the game.
“I passionately believe that the game has chosen the right path,” he said. “Our clear ambition is that the new competition will sit alongside the IPL and Big Bash League as one of the world’s major cricket tournaments,” he told the ECB website.
With three years to go, plans are currently going on, as to where matches and teams will be set up and played, something that worries county members, players and fans alike.
The current plan is to give each county, £1.3 million each, with 8 teams of 15 players – including 3 from overseas.
But, more importantly, the ECB would like the tournament to have coverage on free-to-air television, which hasn’t had live coverage of cricket matches since the 2005 Ashes Test series on Channel 4.
