KEY POINTS:
Apart from the obvious and envy-producing upsizing of our top cricketers' pay packets, there could be an upside to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However that upside may exist only in a perfect world and when did an abundance of wealth produce a perfect world? More likely the cash floating around will only end up perverting the present cricket environment.
I think it is a good thing our top players are now being remunerated so substantially. In a perfect world, and if the IPL continues indefinitely into the future, what an incentive it provides for our cricketing talent. If New Zealand gets only a handful of IPL contracts, then obviously you want to be such a fine player that you work your way into the calculations of the IPL franchise administrators. To do that, you would need to perform to world-class standard in Twenty/20 internationals, one day internationals and test cricket. I'd imagine New Zealand Cricket would take that spinoff.
But that's a perfect world and I can't see it taking long before that world is shattered by dollars.
For one thing, there may be a bit of dressing room jealousy. Some players may not be altogether happy that some teammates are set up for life.
Older players not on the IPL payroll will need a retirement plan - which will make the ICL more attractive. That may take a few of our older players out of the game sooner than is ideal but that can be absorbed. However, if some of the better up-and-coming talent get impatient for the IPL promised land, they might opt for the ICL too. If the IPL prospers, the ICL may drift off but there is a real threat to world cricket if the IPL flourishes.
If you've paid US$100 million for a franchise, you are going to want to work that asset hard. More games, more tournaments and a hell of lot more pressure on the Future Tours Programme.
That in turn is going to pressure players to be available for more IPL cricket and that could affect test match availability.
We may find that international performance becomes a qualifying standard for IPL contracts and, once that's achieved, it's time to scale down one's international commitments.
Also, do you want to be a player who can bat for a long time and win tests or just a sensational hitter of a cricket ball?
The upshot of last week's IPL player auction is that, for a New Zealand cricketer, the most lucrative form of the game is not international cricket.
Supposedly IPL cricket will not infringe upon international cricket but for how long?
I get the feeling that Indian-generated US dollars will once again dictate ICC terms.
