Hampshire have agreed to join the Rajasthan Royals' ambitious global franchise and have been included in plans for a "festival" which would add games to their fixture list this summer.
Cape Cobras from South Africa, Australian state Victoria and Trinidad & Tobago are finalising negotiations to become part of a network of clubs under the Royals2020 name.
Hampshire will no longer be known as the Hawks and it is understood there have been talks with Worcestershire about there being two sets of "Royals" in England.
Other parts of the deal include clubs wearing the same strip as Rajasthan for Twenty20 matches and players being allowed to move to other Royals teams if domestic rules allow.
Other counties have played matches outside the traditional domestic calendar but the plans for a "festival" of cricket at different venues around the world, starting in England in July, are expected to raise concerns about player burnout.
The proposals are for the Royals2020 teams to compete in a round-robin section followed by a final in a tournament that would be spread over three days.
The Rajasthan Royals chief executive, Sean Morris, said: "We will be playing in the UK in July, hopefully at Lord's, and developing plans to play in South Africa and Australia over the Christmas period and then in 2011 in the Middle East and Jaipur."
The England and Wales Cricket Board has yet to receive full details about the proposals.
The Royals2020 chairman, Manoj Badale, said there was potential for conflict regarding the fixture build-up, given that he expects the financial benefits of the franchise to attract players.
"Our regulating body is the Indian Premier League and there has been a lot of dialogue," said Badale. "There is nothing that we're doing that doesn't sit within the existing domestic guidelines or rules and regulations. In terms of sharing players, that will be in line with the rules of the country."
The Rajasthan coach and captain, Shane Warne, sees plenty of benefits for the players involved.
"It will give the players the opportunity to share their knowledge," said the former Australia leg spinner. "We're hoping to do a festival later in the year in Australia or South Africa."