Ben Stokes and the SA20
Does it make a difference to you?
The next column is intended to be about the difference that ‘big name’ signings make to a T20 Franchise league. The material, quantifiable difference. Is it measurable?
There has been a viral and very expensive obsession with hiring big names for the last decade, but does it make financial sense? Do they actually put more bums on seats and lead to an increase in sponsorship and advertising revenue?
Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and David Warner (amongst many others) were top of the shopping list and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many coaches have told me over the years that team owners played a far greater role in their hiring than the coaching staff.
Before I complete the column, it occurred to me that one of my most valuable assets was you, my subscribers. A dedicated group of cricket followers with no ‘skin in the game’ other than a love for it.
Ben Stokes’ signing for Mumbai Indians Cape Town in the third edition of the SA20 was possibly the first instance of a player acquisition which made me think a ‘difference’ could be made, although more in financial and marketing terms than cricketing. Let’s be honest, sensational cricketer that he is, the format is not his forte.
MS Dhoni is worth millions of dollars to Chennai Super Kings, and the IPL, even well after his sell-by date as a player. Literally, hundreds of millions. That can be quantified, sort of. How is it possible to measure the ROI of R4,5 million spent on Liam Dawson by the Sunrisers Eastern Cape? It might reasonably be possible, I just don’t know how.
Given the number of cricket loving subscribers to this column, I thought it would be remiss of me not to ask for your thoughts and opinions. Please contribute if you have the time and/or inclination. Your thoughts matter. (And please let me know if I can quote you or whether your comments are nameless.)
Look forward to writing the next episode!
(Haven’t had a buy-me-a-coffee for over a month…don’t be shy to reach into the nebulous world of online contributions if you have the time, patience and means…) And, if you’re one of the many people I’ve met who’ve told me they “keep meaning to subscribe but haven’t got around to it,” now’s your chance. Money back guaranteed!
Hi Boris, I can't understand the disappearance of the buy-me-a-coffee link - but it certainly explains why I've been caffeine-free for a month or so! Anyway, many thanks for the sentiment and thank you in advance for the coffee, assuming the link returns!
The Big Bash is a fascinating case study - it's still the only league own by the host board with 'clubs' rather than Franchises, but the pressure is building to head towards private investment. I suspect that will happen in the next 2-3 years. At some point Cricket Australia will receive an offer (or offers) they simply cannot refuse. But there is still an obsession with signing overseas players, even if they are unheralded 20-year-olds from England. At least they're not being paid a fortune, I suppose... :)
It does make a difference as it seriously raises the profile of the tournament, which leads to greater TV audiences and bigger betting pools.
I would be happy to watch 2 school teams play, if they had the attraction/numbers a SA20 franchise can generate. You previous article noted just how India controls the purse strings - and the IPL backed teams have fanatical supporters who like to bet. I think its reasonable to assume high profile players would not be engaged in any form of match fixing, so there is greater confidence in the product, which leads to more audiences/more betting/more advertisers/bigger pies to slice.
As a rule - more is generally good. Who knows, it may even trickle down to CSA so the grounds can improve the seating/audio/facilities etc.