ISLAMABAD: England batter James Vince has raised serious concerns about the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) no-objection certificate (NOC) policy, accusing the governing body of favouring the Indian Premier League (IPL) over Pakistan Super League (PSL).
After being retained by Karachi Kings for PSL10, Vince highlighted the “double standards” in the ECB’s policies.
Vince pointed out that the PSL, being a shorter format, requires less commitment from players compared to the IPL, yet the latter continues to receive preferential treatment.
“PSL is a shorter competition, so if you’re going to play in that, you’re probably missing less domestic cricket than if you’re going to the IPL,” he said. “So, that was a big one where it just didn’t seem right.”
The ECB’s guidelines, rolled out last November, prohibit players from engaging in overseas leagues that coincide with the English summer, including the PSL, Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and Major League Cricket (MLC). Yet, players can obtain NOCs for the IPL, despite it overlapping with the County Championship.
“I think it has to do with the relationships between the ECB, PCB, and BCCI,” Vince speculated.
Last year, Vince declared his retirement from red-ball cricket and stepped down as Hampshire’s captain to concentrate solely on white-ball formats for the 2025 season, allowing him to take part in the PSL. He pointed out that the financial gap between domestic contracts and franchise leagues played a key role in his choice.
The ECB’s decision to allow IPL participation while restricting players from other leagues has caused an uproar, especially given the overlapping schedules. Vince speculated that the disparity in treatment could be tied to the political and economic relationships between the ECB, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The ECB had initially planned to block players from joining any overseas leagues that coincided with the County Championship. However, after pressure from players, agents, and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), the policy was relaxed, with certain exceptions granted. Despite this shift, the exemption for the IPL has remained a point of contention.
The change in the PSL’s window to April-May, which clashes with the County Championship, prompted Vince to renegotiate his Hampshire contract. He mentioned that Karachi Kings management had expressed concerns about potential NOC issues during the draft process. “I know we’ve had a bit of dialogue with our owners and team management at Karachi. They were concerned about picking someone up in the draft and then the NOC being denied,” he explained.
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The ECB’s position has sparked further debate about its approach to overseas competitions. “Had another 25, 30 English players been picked up on decent contracts [in the PSL], whether there would have been more people forgoing their red-ball contracts to take up that offer,” Vince pondered. “It didn’t help English domestic players in the draft either.”
As the trend of players prioritizing franchise cricket continues to grow, especially with the financial incentives offered by leagues such as the IPL and PSL, Vince’s remarks reflect the broader dissatisfaction with the ECB’s policies. Players are increasingly seeking clarity and fairness from the ECB, who is under mounting pressure to revise its stance and offer equal opportunities for all international leagues.
Vince, along with fellow English cricketers Chris Jordan and David Willey, who are drafted for Multan Sultans, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Billings, and Tom Curran for Lahore Qalandars, are set to represent their respective PSL teams in 2025.