GEORGETOWN, Guyana-President Irfaan Ali is urging India to rethink its strategy of restricting its players from participating in overseas leagues, warning that the current approach could undermine India’s long-term influence in world cricket.
Ali, an avid cricket lover who also plays the game at the local level, said India has “undeniably risen as the superpower of world cricket,” not only through talent but also through unmatched technology, resources, infrastructure, finance and administration. “Simply put, India holds the cricketing nuclear button,” he said.
But Ali cautioned that power without openness can become a liability. “The strategy of locking out Indian players from other leagues will ultimately backfire,” he said. “Yes, the Indian market is the largest consumer of cricket, but the global landscape is shifting. Nations like Saudi Arabia are investing strategically in sports, and such long-term diversification can quickly reshape the balance of power.”
Ali said that while India may currently control the sport’s economic engine, sustaining leadership requires inclusion, not isolation. “Control through exclusion and market dominance may yield short-term gains, but an open, level playing field is the only sustainable model for long-term growth,” he said. “How India wields this period of dominance will define its place in cricketing history.”
Drawing on cricket’s past, Ali reflected on the era when the West Indies inspired the world with their style and dominance. He referenced India’s legendary 1983 World Cup captain Kapil Dev, who credited a landmark victory in Guyana against the West Indies as the start of India’s one-day cricket journey.
“West Indies, during that time, was a team nobody could dream to come close to, and we beat them in West Indies, right here in Guyana,” Dev once said.
“Just as the West Indies once inspired greatness in others, including a young Indian team in Guyana, we now have an opportunity to inspire a new era of global cricket — one built on collaboration rather than isolation,” Ali said.
Ali revealed that Guyana has already extended a partnership proposal to help build a “truly global Super League” as an inclusive model for the future. He dismissed talk of simply reviving the defunct Champions League T20 without genuine international cooperation. “That is uninspiring and short-sighted,” he said.
He called on the England and Wales Cricket Board to join the initiative, noting that England once held cricketing dominance and understands “how swiftly fortune can turn and how essential it is to embrace a vision that strengthens the game for all.”
Ali’s comments come as the International Cricket Council and major boards — including the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB — continue to debate the future structure of the international cricket calendar and the role of franchise leagues.
“Dominance on the global stage comes with responsibilities,” Ali said. “The world is changing. Cricket must change with it.”