ECB members vote in favor of new T20 league

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a clear majority for their proposed plan of a new T20 league commencing from the year 2020. Out of the 41 members of the ECB, 38 voted for the new T20 league and 3 members did not vote for it. Among the three members who did not vote in favor of the league, Essex and Middlesex voted against it and Kent abstained the voting.

All the other First Class counties and also the non-First Class counties voted for the league that will be played on the lines of the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League. After having received a majority for the new plan, ECB is now keen on looking for broadcasters. The board is set to strike a television deal that is expected to be amounting to 1 billion pounds from 2020 to 2024.

Colin Graves, the Chairman of the ECB, was very pleased to make the formal announcement of the voting results. He is looking excited about the new T20 league.

“We are delighted that such an overwhelming majority of our Members have voted to support the change to the ECB’s Articles. In doing so, they have paved the way for an exciting new era for cricket in England and Wales,” quoted Colin Graves.

He further noted that the members of the board had been discussing this idea for quite some time now. The sole reason for doing so is to keep the audiences interested in the shorter format of the game. Also, the new league is expected to bring new fans and widen the reach of the sport. Graves added that the existing setup of domestic tournaments will also continue to be in place.

The Natwest T20 Blast, Royal London One Day Cup, Kia Super League and Specsavers County Championship will all be functioning in the English calendar along with the new proposed T20 league.

“Over the past year our Members have seen the clear evidence outlining why an additional new T20 competition is the right way for cricket to reach new audiences, create new fans and drive the future of the game. I would like to sincerely thank them for the way they and their members have embraced the process and the debate,” quoted the ECB chairman.

“I passionately believe that the game has chosen the right path. Each of our Members will benefit and, critically, so will the whole game. We can now move on with building an exciting new competition for a new audience to complement our existing competitions – NatWest T20 Blast, the Royal London One-Day Cup, the Specsavers County Championship and Kia Super League – plus the international formats, each with its own clear role to play,” he added further.

Speaking on the same note, the ambitious ECB chairman added that they wish to see the tournament to be a massive hit similar to the IPL and the BBL. Also, he believes that the tournament will help England cricket develop more and more in the times ahead.

“Our clear ambition is that this new competition will sit alongside the IPL and Big Bash League as one of the world’s major cricket tournaments. It will certainly increase participation in our game, in conjunction with the new All Stars Cricket program for five to eight-year-olds, and provide additional income streams for all our stakeholders,” he conceded.