"There will be adverse knock-on effects" - Michael Atherton worried about the expansion of the IPL

Former England captain Michael Atherton expressed his concerns about the future of the sport amid the Indian Premier League's (IPL) expansion. Michael Atherton feels Test cricket will be in grave danger as the tournament will demand a longer window.

The RPSG Group and CVC Capital were the two companies winning the bids as they paid staggering amounts to acquire the new Lucknow and Ahmedabad-based franchises. The two private investors shelled out 7090 crores (£694m) and 5625 crores (£554m).

Michael Atherton fears that the window consumed by franchise and international cricket could be too much. As a result, Atherton feels the players will go behind the big bucks and Test cricket shall suffer. Atherton wrote in his column for The Times:

"There will be adverse knock-on effects. The calendar cannot contain the competing demands of international and franchise cricket as it is now, with a two-month window allotted for the IPL. India will want a longer window and, who knows, maybe the owners will eventually want a second station carved out of the schedule."

The 53-year old continued:

"Cricketers will follow the money. If the market is left unchecked, and the least profitable aspects of the game will suffer — notably Test cricket among countries with small television markets. Relations between the players and their principal employers will fray. Some, like New Zealand, have simply accepted reality and allow their players absolute freedom to pick and choose."

Renowned football club Manchester United's owners also participated in the bid but lost. Meanwhile, with two new teams in the mix, the cash-rich league will host 74 matches from 2022. However, several former Indian cricketers have hailed the move and are eager to see more talents emerging from the competition.

"The advance of the IPL will be hard to stop" - Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton. (Image Credits: Getty)

Michael Atherton also held the IPL responsible for Ben Stokes missing the T20 World Cup he sustained a finger injury in IPL 2021. Highlighting the current scenario of the sport as primarily a money-making avenue, the cricketer-turned-commentator wrote:

"England are missing two centrally contracted players in this World Cup who were injured in the IPL — an extraordinary state of affairs when you think about it. An imbalance of revenues and the intense gravitational pull of IPL puts stress on a game ill-equipped to withstand it. The advance of the IPL, and its satellite tournaments, will be hard to stop. But sport that exists only to create a return for investors will lose the precious elements that hinder rather than help the bottom line."

It remains to be seen how the BCCI also manages the bio-bubble fatigue that is bound to occur amongst players amid a long tournament. Several cricketers have emphasized the need for a break after spending an extended time in quarantine.