Regional franchise leagues add new dimension to Indian cricket

T20 cricket is everywhere. More specifically, T20 franchise cricket is everywhere.

Ever since the Indian Premier League gave the game a taste of franchises, player auctions, and mega dollars in 2008, the cricket world has never been the same.

The IPL spawned so many imitators the calendar ran out of space. You could no longer have one league with a relatively clear window available. There is now always some international series or league running alongside, squeezing every available drop out of the roster.

Obviously, the IPL does not have that issue since it gets a free run at the beginning of the summer, but you get the point – T20 is where cricket resides now.

Now a sub-set of tournaments is cropping up. State-level franchise T20 leagues in India are now a thing, and they are growing in size.

The Tamil Nadu Premier League in the southern Indian state is arguably the most prominent. There is one in neighbouring Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra among others.

These are relatively short tournaments that offer good exposure, and decent money, to young cricketers and serve as a stepping stone to top-level T20 cricket, namely the IPL.

The latest addition to the growth of franchise leagues in India is the Uttar Pradesh T20 League. Set in the most populous state in the country, the UPT20 League sits on a massive home base of 250 million. That makes it an entity on its own.

Six teams were auctioned off last month, weeks after the league received clearance from the Indian board. The teams were purchased for between 55 million Indian rupees ($600,000) and 72 million rupees (approximately $900,000) apiece. Each squad had a player salary pool of around $120,000.

The marquee names in the player draft were assured of 1