Why modern cricket is forcing players to choose a format?

The rise of Twenty20 franchise leagues has transformed the landscape of international cricket, allowing players to lengthen their careers and boost their finances. 

Veterans like Mahendra Singh Dhoni entertain fans well into their 40s, but several younger players retire from international cricket or focus solely on Twenty20, illustrating the trade-off of this phenomenon.

Some of the West Indian Twenty20 specialists like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have not been representing their country for many years, now, 30-year-old Trinidadian Nicholas Pooran announced their international retirement last year to focus on franchise leagues, while Trent Boult has not been part of the New Zealand set-up, except for major events, but continues to get wickets in first over of his Twenty20 spell.

The key reasons for these specialists to cold-shoulder their respective national teams are – financial freedom, workload management, and the stringent central contracts that allow cricket boards greater control over them.

West Indies faced the biggest impact among the cricketing nations as their free-flowing Caribbean flair made them an instant hit in the shortest format. Despite numerous players filling several spots in many leagues, the two-time world champions failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, a low point in their illustrious cricketing history.

England players differ in mentality

On the contrary, England players have given up franchise cricket to extend their international longevity. Players like Ben Stokes and Joe Root have not been playing franchise cricket to prolong their Test and ODI careers, while England ace Harry Brooks pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025 to be fresh to play for England, despite a two-year ban rule.

Speaking to The Mirror, Brook said: "This is my priority. England is the way forward for me, and franchise cricket can almost take a step back for a little while. At the end of the day, I enjoy playing cricket for England more than anything else.”

The Indian cricketers are following a different path. The Indian board does not issue NOC for players to participate in other franchise leagues than the IPL, hence they announce their international retirement to be eligible.

Players like Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, and Ambati Rayudu took part in various franchise leagues across the world after their retirement, while Ravichandran Ashwin’s plans to play in the latest edition of the Big Bash League fell flat due to a knee surgery, while Dinesh Karthik took part for the Sharjah Warriorz in this year’s ILT20 in the UAE.

Why are players opting for the Twenty20 format?

The wage disparity between franchise leagues and international matches is glaring and hard to ignore for the players. With limited years to be on top of their game and the threat of getting their career shortened by injuries, the Twenty20 specialists try to maximise their potential by opting to play in leagues.

Increasingly, the players are also finding it difficult to play all the formats as it requires different mental and skill sets to be successful, apart from the risk of injuries associated with it. Twenty20 is all about aggression, and a player must play big shots from the first ball without putting a price on his wicket. It is a high-risk, high-reward format, while Test is all about patience and relies heavily on soaking up the pressure and executing it according to the situation. 

One should display the patience of a fisher. 50-over cricket is a mix of both, where a batter needs to switch his skills to attack. Also, build an innings according to the needs, while the bowlers need to consistently bowl at the right areas to get the wicket, while controlling the flow of runs.

Fitness concerns

While the Twenty20 match takes its toll on the players, their role is limited. The maximum they bowl is three overs at a stretch, while the batters bat for 120 balls. On the contrary, in Tests, a bowler will have to bowl at least eight to 10-over spells, while the batters must score and build the innings over days.

The monetary benefits of Twenty20 franchise leagues outweigh the rewards of Tests. Uncapped Indian players like Prashant Veer and Karthik Sharma will be earning Rs 142 million for playing a maximum of 21 matches across two months, while Grade A+ bracket Indian players have earned less than half of that amount - Rs 70 million - for playing Test for an entire year, that too after the Indian board increased the fees to boost the growth of the longest format.

This growth has led players to become freelancers, like Quinton de Kock, who reversed his decision to quit international cricket in September 2025, Narine, Pooran, and Boult. There will be more cricketers who follow this path. Young South African batter Dewald Brevis played 77 Twenty20 franchise matches across five leagues, but has featured in only 19 Twenty20 internationals for South Africa.

Russell, who will be looking to guide Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to the ILT20 final, in an earlier interview, said that money is important to put food on the table for his family even after his career is over. So he is playing in franchise leagues across the world, while he yearned to don the West Indian colours.

Gone are the days when the board could control players. Now, they must realise that fostering a new attitude and offering incentives for the longer format are essential to prevent talent drain and keep Test cricket alive.