A special draft will be used to pick England Test players in the proposed T20 competition

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had proposed a new T20 league in the country and latest details about it have been published to the counties through a nine-page document, source Cricbuzz. It states that the counties which agree to hand over their media rights to the ECB will each receive a minimum annual sum of GBP 1.3 million.

The clubs not agreeing to their media rights being handled by the ECB won’t be eligible for the payment. The document also covers the other aspects of finance, governance, scheduling, players and coaching as well as brand marketing.

The 8 teams to take part in the league will have 15 members that would also include 3 overseas players. There will be a draft similar to that of IPL, though not comparable in scale, 13 players will be drafted two in each of the top five salary bands and three in the lowest band. However, there will be no restrictions on the number of players to be selected in the team from a single county.

The contracted Test players of England national side are not expected to play in the league, however, they would still be picked in the teams via a separate draft to be engaged in marketing and commercial activities for the tournament. They will be allowed to play in the league only if they are not required in the international team and will be paid a fee depending upon the number of games they play.

As per the document, ECB targets to “appeal to and grow the 10.4 million fans currently interested in the game” and “focus on the next generation of fans.” The critics though have alleged that the league is being introduced for money and the opportunity for a large new broadcasting deal.

It also states that the tournament will begin a week later than the previously date of July 24th once the Blast tournament gets over and with the Test matches and the domestic 50-over competition running side by side.