Two days into its existence the Royals2020 franchise has hit its second major snag. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has stated that Rajasthan have not "sought permission" for the festival tournament planned to be held in England this July. Without that permission, any Indian players contracted to the board would not be able to compete.
That would preclude three members of Rajasthan's squad from playing in the tournament. More generally, however, when added to the reaction of the England and Wales Cricket Board to the announcement, it is indicative of the opposition Rajasthan will face from the national cricket boards as they seek to organise their own series of independent tournaments.
A spokesman for the Royals, captained by the former Hampshire player Shane Warne, said "the IPL has been aware of our plans and have been nothing but supportive. We know exactly where we stand and there has never been an intention to create any sort of conflict with the BCCI."
Despite the insistence of their chairman, Manoj Badale, that the franchise deal was "really very simple, we will have the same name, wear the same kit and play with each other a few times a year", the plans have complicated ramifications. Reports this morning suggested that as many as six other counties were in negotiations with IPL teams over similar arrangements. Middlesex had certainly been approached by Rajasthan and, according to their chief executive, Vinny Codrington, "one or two other teams", but neither meeting progressed past preliminary talks.
Middlesex are concentrating on the season ahead, and, Codrington added, "would not do anything without talking to the MCC first". Unsubstantiated reports surfaced in India last week that the MCC itself may be considering bidding for one of the two new IPL franchises which will be created for the 2011 season. The MCC has declined to respond to such speculation.
Neither Lancashire nor Yorkshire, who have significant local British Asian populations and Test match-sized grounds, have been approached by other IPL teams in pursuit of a deal. Jim Cumbes, the chief executive of Lancashire, said: "It sounds on the face of it as though it would be a very advantageous thing to do. Until we know the details and how it works it is difficult to say 'we're doing it' but if there is somebody interested out there then we would certainly be interested in talking about it with them. No question about it. A club this size in a city this size, we'd be daft not to look at it."
Festival matches would impinge not just on the domestic competitions being organised by the national boards of the host countries, but also on the IPL's own plans for overseas expansion.
Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, confirmed yesterday that he was planning to organise tournaments in the United States, as well as in the Middle East – one of the areas identified by Rajasthan as a future venue for Royals2020 matches. This is likely to be a further source of friction.
For Rajasthan, and other IPL sides, the challenge is to start making money in the 10 months of the year in which they do not play. No doubt, this global franchise is a step towards trying to achieve that. It would create more matches for the Indian TV market, and enable future sponsorship deals to be negotiated around a reach that extends into five major markets rather than just one.
Given the number of cash-strapped English counties, any other interested IPL sides would be sure to find takers for similar proposals. As Badale has said: "If other teams borrow the model that's great, because it validates the model." For the moment though it is a case of wait‑and-see.