The ICC is considering a sweeping crackdown on T20 franchise leagues, with proposals to cap overseas players at four per playing XI, restrict betting sponsorship and tighten anti-corruption checks. The recommendations from the ICC’s franchise leagues review group are set to be discussed by board presidents and chief executives at the ICC’s quarterly meetings in Bali this weekend, according to an ESPNcricinfo report.
The most contentious proposal is a strict limit of four overseas players in every starting XI across all existing leagues. The cap would have its biggest impact on competitions such as the UAE’s ILT20 and Major League Cricket in the United States, which currently field more overseas players than the limit would allow. The IPL already restricts teams to four overseas players per XI, so the change would bring the other leagues in line with the world’s biggest T20 competition. The cap would apply to every league the ICC sanctions, from the ILT20 and MLC to the growing number of new competitions seeking approval.
The review group was formed in July to protect the global calendar and the integrity of the sport, and it is chaired by Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal. Its members include England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. Alongside the overseas-player cap, the group has proposed tighter rules on league approvals, sponsorship agreements and anti-corruption measures, including restrictions on betting sponsorship — a revenue stream several leagues depend on.
The proposals are not yet confirmed regulations, and they are expected to be debated rather than rubber-stamped in Bali. The ICC’s quarterly meetings, its final round of board meetings for 2026, began on Wednesday and run until Sunday, with the franchise-league review on the agenda alongside the future of the World Test Championship and the next Future Tours Programme for 2027-31. Any changes would need the backing of the full members, and leagues that rely heavily on overseas stars are expected to push back.
The timing matters because franchise leagues now fill almost every window of the calendar. The ILT20 and MLC have grown rapidly on the back of overseas talent, and a four-player cap would force a fundamental rethink of how their squads are built. The group was set up in July amid concern that the rapid growth of leagues was squeezing the calendar and creating integrity risks. For the ICC, the review is about drawing a line between leagues that complement international cricket and those that compete with it for players, attention and calendar space.
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