World Cricket Association lights a fuse with views on game’s governance

Everyone associated with cricket knows the international calendar is overcrowded. Everyone also knows India is the game’s powerhouse and is shaping it to its will. Solutions and remedies to these situations are in short supply, especially given the interests vested in maintaining them.

Last August, in recognition of this, the World Cricketers’ Association initiated a comprehensive review of the game’s global structure. At the time, its chair said they had “given up hope” the game’s leaders could establish a clear, coherent structure in which international cricket and domestic leagues could co-exist. A six-person panel was established with a remit to produce recommendations to the WCA board after talking with players, administrators, team owners and broadcasters.

Between September 2024 and March 2025, 64 interviews were conducted. Of these, 19 were with players, split almost equally between men and women; 14 with current or past cricket administrators; 17 with individuals operating in the media or with commercial interests; and 14 representing player associations. What is striking is the low-level of input from both the International Cricket Council and India — one Indian journalist was interviewed, along with the CEO of an IPL team, an executive of JioStar and a legendary former Indian female cricketer.

Whilst disappointing, this failure to engage is hardly a surprise. Neither India nor Pakistan has recognized player associations. There is an Indian Cricket Association, formed in 2019, but its membership is restricted to former players and it is not affiliated to the WCA. This reticence to allow the formation of a genuine players’ union is underpinned by the Lodha Committee. In response to the 2013 IPL betting