Former India international Robin Singh is a veteran in the coaching universe. The retired all-rounder has made a name for himself as an astute coach, being part of the support staff of IPL heavyweights Mumbai Indians, Caribbean Premier League outfit Barbados Tridents among a host of other franchises.
Singh is currently in the UAE, leading Northern Warriors in the T10 League in Sharjah. Understandably, he has seen the best players in the sport up close and has his finger on the pulse of modern cricket.
Earlier this year, the International Cricket Council had proposed a cap on the number of leagues players can participate in, in an effort to save international cricket from the exponential growth in franchise cricket that is luring many cricketers to T20 games across the planet.
Understandably, that proposal from the ICC met with criticism from the players’ association. Singh too feels that its not prudent to curb league cricket as such a move will backfire.
“Putting restrictions will be hard. I don’t think players will restrict themselves from playing tournaments. It might even have an adverse effect,” Singh told Sport360.
“It will become an individual thing. If you have a central contract and it’s a huge contract, you won’t (give up international cricket). But if you are someone who is just there or thereabouts and not sure, you will look at better options. People will also look at longevity.
“Franchise cricket allows you to train more, you are playing five or six matches, have enough time to recover. There are more opportunities to give your best, 100 per cent all the time. There are more advantages than disadvantages for cricketers who want to play the sport.”
The 55-year-old said that franchise cricket has done more good to the game than harm, giving financial security to numerous players who would have otherwise faded away.
“Franchise cricket has given a lot of financial security. Lot of people have understood that if they can’t make it (at the highest level), their cricket doesn’t get stagnant anymore. They look at it as a livelihood. People have become professional.”
Moreover, the former all-rounder expects some high profile names to take up franchise cricket whole-heartedly after the 2019 World Cup.
“It will have an even more impact in the next couple of years. You will see a lot of players turning to franchise cricket after the 2019 World Cup. There are so many leagues around, there is enough exposure for cricketers.
“Players that don’t make the 2019 World Cup, those who are 29, 30 can play another five to six years. They will look at other options for sure.”
So what about Test cricket? “Test cricket… your guess is as good as mine,” he concluded.
