WCA advocates timely player payments in franchise leagues

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the problem of foreign players not receiving their salaries from the various T20 league teams on time. In the past, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) had complained about one of its teams for failing to pay foreign players on time. Other leagues were also scrutinized for the same problem, including the Cayman Max60 and the Abu Dhabi T10 league.

The worldwide player union for cricket has demanded the implementation of “basic global protections” to shield international players from wage disputes, since the situation deteriorates with each episode.

Through its “leagues hub,” the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) has also identified 53 men’s and women’s leagues as well as additional leagues that need ICC certification.

Of those leagues, 17 are accused by the organization of having late or nonexistent payments.

“Being late or not paying is a recurring problem in domestic leagues around the world, and it is not getting better. To help the players and the game deal with this problem, we have long pushed for some fundamental international protections,” stated Tom Moffat, chief executive of the WCA.

“In any league that has received official sanction, players should feel secure knowing that their contracts include minimum criteria and certain fundamental rights. According to him, these include guidelines for terms of payment and the existence of an appropriate enforcement mechanism, such an international arbitration agency, to deal with violations.

Players from Bangladesh face payment problems in the BPL.

Not only are overseas players affected by the cash shortage, but local players in the Bangladesh Premier League are also having difficulties. After the game, Bangladesh’s top bowler, Taskin Ahmed, made a joke about hoping the checks, which were sent out hours before the game, wouldn’t bounce like the pitch. Returning to the concerns of the international players, Moffat stated that although many players have benefited from it in the past, the problems are unresolved and are detrimental to the sport as a whole.

“We’ve previously helped several players throughout the world take coordinated action, but that shouldn’t be the case. In order to maintain its position as a top international sport in 2025, the game must address its existing inability to handle transnational problems like these, the WCA CEO said.