The women’s victory fueled social media with calls for Full Membership to Scotland. That made me wonder—What exactly are all the criteria to become a full member?
Full Member Criteria: What Do The Official ICC Documents Say?
According to ICC’s website, Clause 2.1 outlines 22 conditions that need to be satisfied to even apply for full membership.
You read that correctly, twenty-two. Here are some of the major highlights.
Have appropriate structure for both men’s and women’s cricket
Generate a minimum of 10% of their own total revenues for four years prior to applying
A debt to equity ratio of not more than 2:1 in the past four years
Features on the Men’s ODI Ranking table
Should have qualified for 3 Men’s ODI & T20 WC in past eight years
Have defeated at least one Full Member in the Top 10 in a Men’s Cricket World Cup, World Cup Qualifier, or the T20 World Cup
Have won at least four times against two or more Full Members in bilaterals in the past 8 years
Have participated in at least one Women’s WC (ODI or T20) in the past 4 years or feature in the women’s ODI ranking table
Have participated in two editions of the U-19 WC in the past 8 years
Have domestic structure (Men’s 50-over and 20-over competitions with List A status and at least 3 teams)
Have ‘satisfactory’ women’s pathway structures and junior men’s pathway structures in place
Have ‘sustained and sufficient pool of players’ in senior men’s, women’s, and U-19 men’s teams
Have ‘strong domestic participation levels’ and ‘evidence of significant growth’ in the past 8 years
Have 2 ICC accredited venues
Has talent/coaching/umpire/curator development programs over the past 4 years
Once they fulfill all the conditions, boards can write to the ICC with an ‘intent to apply’ and complete the written application after which there will be a preliminary assessment, reviews, and even a possible inspection.
How Did Afghanistan Qualify?
I know what you must be wondering. How in the world did Afghanistan qualify (and not lose their status) after the Taliban takeover, where higher education was banned for girls?
At the very end of the document, the ICC conveniently slips in Clause 3.5, which states
“In its sole discretion, and where the Applicant is able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances justifying its inability to satisfy one or more of the applicable Membership criteria, the Membership Committee may recommend the acceptance of the application notwithstanding the fact that the Applicant does not satisfy all of the relevant Membership criteria.”
Scotland now meet more of the ICC full member performance criteria than two current ICC full members.
— Andrew Nixon (@andrewnixon79@mastodon.world) (@andrewnixon79) May 5, 2024
Full Membership No Longer Equals Test Status
Growing up, I always had the impression that Full Membership = Test Status, but the word ‘Test’ does not even appear once on the ICC Membership Criteria document.
“Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket of a country recognised by the ICC, or nations associated for cricket purposes, or a geographical area, from which representative teams are qualified to play official Test matches (12 Members).”
“Associate Members are the governing bodies for cricket of a country recognised by the ICC, or countries associated for cricket purposes, or a geographical area, which does not qualify as a Full Member, but where cricket is firmly established and organised (94 Members).”
Hence, Full Membershipmeans there is a pathway to Test status, but nowhere does it claim that playing Test cricket is a necessity for Full Members.
Should Newer Full Members Even Play Test Cricket?
Okay, a slight digression. Should newer full members even play Test cricket?
As Ireland have found out, it is not cheap to host Test cricket. In fact, it causes more financial strain to the national boards. Ireland won their first Test seven years after their Test status, but scheduling Test matches? Well, that’s a whole another matter.
Cricket Ireland famously cancelled a Test against Bangladesh and replaced it with a T20 series because they would lose a million pounds for that one Test.
I am all for a ‘Test fund’ that was proposed a decade ago, innovations in Test cricket, or a two-tiered World Test Championship with relegation & promotion, but forcing a cricket board to play Test cricket can bring down the financial situation of the entire sport in the country.
"We should give the Scotland men's team Test Status" is a pretty weird reaction to the Scotland women's team qualifying for a T20 World Cup to be honest. https://t.co/ve8eb7dQZt
Apart from finances, Ireland’s elevation to Test status did more harm than good.
Irish cricketers used to be considered domestic players and therefore, the golden generation – Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Tim Murtagh, etc. played as domestic cricketers in the County circuit. However, post 2017, they have had to sign up as overseas players which County teams may be reluctant to do.
If Scotland does accept to play Test cricket, adjustments would need to be made in County Cricket rules.
Show Me the Money
If not Test cricket, what is Full Membership all about?
*Top 8 Teams (non-India) include England ($41.33 million), Australia ($37.53 million), Pakistan ($34.51 million), New Zealand ($28.38 million), West Indies ($27.50 million), Sri Lanka ($27.12 million), South Africa ($26.24 million), and Bangladesh ($26.74 million).
Ireland ($17.64 million), Zimbabwe ($17.64 million), and Afghanistan ($16.82 million) relatively earn less but a larger chunk than the Associate nations.
Currently $67.16 million is divided among 94 Associate Members. On average, each Associate member gets about $714,468, which is substantially less than what Ireland and Afghanistan now receive.
If a cricket board receives Full Membership, then they are ensured a small piece of the annual funding pie. What’s more? They will get regular FTP matches against the top teams helping them improve further. ICC already earns enough money from World Cups that they have surplus to distribute to their members. Adding two more members and changing the redistribution of wealth will not change much.
Should Scotland and Netherlands Receive Full Member Status?
Let’s get back to the heart of the topic, should countries like Scotland and Netherlands receive Full Member Status?
In 2000, Bangladesh were gifted Full Membership and Test status after winning the 1997 ICC Trophy, defeated Kenya in 1998, and defeating Scotland & Pakistan in the 1999 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Women’s Team only made their international debut in 2007 and gained ODI status in 2011 (qualified for the 2014 T20 WC as hosts, qualified for the 2022 ODI WC), much after they were elevated to Full Status.
I argue that Scotland and Netherlands have already done much more than Bangladesh ever did prior being elevated to Full Member Status.
Scotland in ICC Tournaments
Let’s look at Scotland. The men’s team has already defeated the likes of England & West Indies, featured in multiple World Cups, have a growing women’s team, and have a couple of solid venues.
Timeline
Here is a quick timeline of their recent past. Scotland have perhaps suffered more than any other team with the curtailed 10-team World Cup format, narrowly losing out on two consecutive ODI World Cups despite playing extremely good cricket.
1992: Becomes an independent cricket Associate Member
1997: Ends 3rd in the ICC Trophy and qualifies for the 1999 ODI World Cup
2004: Wins the ICC Intercontinental Cup
2012: Defeats Bangladesh in a T20 match
2017: Defeats Zimbabwe in an ODI match
2018: Defeat Afghanistan, UAE, Nepal, Hong Kong, (and tied against Zimbabwe), *lost against West Indies due to DLS/rain
2018: Defeats England by 6 runs after scoring 371
2022: Defeats West Indies in the T20 World Cup
2022: Scotland women team get ODI status
2023: Defeat West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, UAE, Oman but fall one spot short of the 10-team ODI World Cup
2024: Scotland women qualify for the T20 World Cup
World Cup Records
ODI WC: Qualified for the 1999 (0/5), 2007 (0/3), 2015 (0/6)
*Note: Scotland have featured in 4/5 U-19 World Cups in the last 8 years.
*NR – No Result
Netherlands in ICC Tournaments
Timeline
Netherlands have had a dream couple of years and even qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup. They have defeated South Africa, England, and West Indies, and their women’s team even reached the quarterfinals in 1997.
1988: Women’s team qualify for the 1988 ODI World Cup
1994: Men’s team ends 3rd in the ICC Trophy and qualifies for the 1996 ODI World Cup
1997: Women’s team qualify for the quarterfinal
2001: Wins the ICC Trophy
2003: Defeats Namibia in the 2003 ODI World Cup
2006: Get ODI status
2007: Women play a Test match against South Africa
2009: Defeats England in the T20 World Cup
2010: Defeats Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup
2014: Chased 193 in 13.5 overs against Ireland to qualify for the Super 10s
It’s clear that these two countries have done more than Bangladesh and Afghanistan for over three decades now (and are doing better than Zimbabwe has been in recent years).
Sure, there may be a checkbox here or there that these two cricket boards may not have hit, but they have done almost everything right.
Dear ICC, it is my honest request. I plead with you to give Scotland and Netherlands Full Membership.
If that means, use Clause 3.5, wave some hands, and give out some funds, then why not?
If not now, when? Take the chance.
It’s time for the European Cricket Dream. Let’s make it happen.
If you like these kinds of in-depth deep dives on finances and administration of cricket, check out the following:
This will help us provide an insight into the workings of the ICC and help us answer questions like:
How much does it cost the ICC to host a World Cup?
How much revenue does the ICC make from global tournaments?
Why has there been a recent influx in World Cups?
I read this 39 page document so you don’t have to.
Let me break it down for you.
Key Takeaways
The ICC earned about 95.59% of their annual revenue from ICC events in 2022 ($412,862,000 out of $431,929,000). In 2021, ICC events contributed to 93.38% of their annual income ($432,146,000 out of 462,767,000).
On the flip side, ICC events contributed the organization 75.27% of their expenditures in 2022 ($168,262,000 out of $223,554,000) and only 70.37% in 2021 ($96,510,000 out of $137,160,000).
The ICC has been profitable with total comprehensive income of $208,375,000 in 2022 and $325,607,000 in 2021 respectively. Adding prior years surplus and general reserves, ICC had a total surplus of $912,999,000 as of 31st December, 2022.
In 2021-2022, senior Men’s ICC tournaments added a profit (+ $602,968,000) to the ICC, while senior Women’s ICC tournaments (– $15,160,000) and U-19 ICC tournaments for both men & women combined (– $7,011,011) led to losses.
The ‘Advance to Full Members’ was $693,331,000 in 2022 and $513,331,000 in 2022 & 2021 respectively, while ‘Advance Allocated to Associate Member’s was $89,716,000 and $66,275,000 in the same period.
Total Revenue Generated from ‘Commercial’ ICC Events (2021-2022)
Now we look at the 2021-2022 tournament breakdown.
ICC Event
Revenue
Expenses
Total Income
2021 World Test Championship (WTC) Final
$36,318,000
$12,469,000
+ $23,849,000
2021 T20 World Cup (Men’s)
$383,624,000
$65,699,000
+ $317,925,000
2022 U19 World Cup (Men’s)
$13,822,000
$19,028,000
– $5,206,000
2022 ODI World Cup (Women’s)
$24,316,000
$35,025,000
– $10,709,000
2022 T20 World Cup (Men’s)
$354,795,000
$84,589,000
+ $270,206,000
Value in Kind* (2021)
$12,204,000
$12,204,000
$0
Value in Kind (2022)
$19,929,000
$19,929,000
$0
Total
+ $845,008,000
– $248,943,000
+ 596,065,000
*Definition in the glossary at the bottom of the article
This table reveals quite a bit of information. What have we learned here?
The ICC takes a hit financially while hosting the Women’s World Cup and U-19 World Cups.
The 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was the most profitable tournament for the ICC in the last couple of years.
It would be interesting to see how much the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup earned when the next round of financials come out.
Total Revenue Generated from ‘Pathway’ ICC Events (2021-2022)
But wait, there is more.
ICC also helps fund the global and regional tournaments. They are not considered ‘commercial’ events.
ICC Event
Expenses
2021 ODI World Cup Qualifier (Women’s)
$2,208,000
2021 T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers (Women’s)
$1,518,000
2021 T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers (Men’s)
$1,794,000
2021 CWC League 2 (Men’s)
$314,000
2022 Women’s Championship
$30,000
2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifier (Women’s)
$257,000
2022 T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers (Women’s)
$695,000
2022 U19 T20 World Cup Qualifier (Women’s)
$828,000
2022 U19 World Cup Qualifier (Men’s)
$977,000
2022 T20 World Cup Qualifier (Men’s)
$1,138,000
2022 CWC Challenge League (Men’s)
$1,549,000
2022 T20 Regional’s Qualifier’s (Men’s)
$1,902,000
2022 CWC League 2 (Men’s)
$2,315,000
Total
– $15,525,000
We can clearly see that these pathway tournaments do not earn ICC big profits.
In essence, they virtually treat these global and regional qualifiers as investments for the growth of the game.
Long Term View: How Has Net Income from ICC Tournament’s Changed Over the Years?
Have you wondered why we have had an influx of ICC tournaments in recent times?
Let’s jog back our memories. In men’s senior tournaments alone, we have had:
2024 T20 World Cup
2023 ODI World Cup
2023 World Test Championship Final
2022 T20 World Cup
2021 T20 World Cup
2021 World Test Championship Final
2019 ODI World Cup
The clear and simple answer is: ICC tournaments (especially senior men’s tournaments) contribute majority of the earnings to the ICC.
We can see from this chart, that there were peaks during 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019, when the Men’s ODI World Cup took place (2007 had both the ODI and the T20 World Cup in the same year).
Even though the ODI format has received criticism in recent times, it is here to stay as the ODI World Cup generates a lot of wealth for the ICC (both the 2017 ODI Women’s World Cup and the Champions Trophy did very well financially).
On the other hand, we can see that the ICC took a hit in 2008 & 2018, two years when no major men’s ICC tournament took place. 2020 was an aberration due to the COVID, but the +$384,000 they did earn was due to the profitability of the Women’s T20 World Cup that broke barriers.
Why Did the ODI World Cup Shrink to 10 Teams?
According to this chart from ICC’s 2007/08 Annual Report, we can see that most of ICC’s money comes from these events. Even in 2007, ICC earned 93.66% of their revenue through events. Most of their costs are distribution of funds to the Members.
If cricket is to grow around the world, the ICC needs to be profitable year after year.
And here lies the double-edged sword of running an international sporting organization. We have often criticized the ICC for shrinking the participation in ODI World Cups, skewed formatting, and India-Pakistan games scheduled for the sole reason of financial gain.
But that profit is necessary for them to invest in the women’s game, U-19 cricket, and regional tournaments around the world because these tournaments provide no financial incentives.
In simple terms—the more money ICC earns from men’s tournaments, the more they can distribute to their members (How that distribution occurs is a deep dive for another day).
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What do you all think? Is there a better solution for ICC to increase their profits than shoving multiple ICC tournaments in a short period of time?
Thanks for reading! Here is some bonus content for you cause I felt like it today.
Other Observations: ICC World Cup Costs in the Earlier Days
Cricket tournaments have become more professional over the years.
Now it takes multi-million dollars to host an ICC event which includes breakthrough commercial deals. Only a couple of decades ago, it did not take as much money to host a world tournament (and the inflation was lower).
Total Comprehensive Income: “Comprehensive income is the sum of a company’s net income, as recorded on their income statement, and unrealized income (or ‘other comprehensive income’).”
Value in Kind: “Sponsorship received in forms of goods and/or services rather than money.”
The rise in run rate is alarming. Just look at the graphic below.
In 2009, there was only one solitary 200+ score and zero other 190+ scores.
By the team we got to 2023, there were 49 190+ scores, which included 37 200+ scores. This year, we have already had 35 190+ scores including 25 200+ scores and eight 250+ scores.
12 Rules That Will Help Bring the Balance Back to the Bowlers
But don’t worry.
I got you.
I bring to you 12 rules that will change the game for good and bring the bowlers back to life!
*Note: This is Satire. Take this Seriously at your own risk.
1. For Every No-Ball, We Need a No-Bat
A bowler oversteps by a millimeter, it is called a no-ball. A bowler bowls wide behind the batter or misses the wide line by a fine margin, it is called a wide.
So, we propose the ‘No-Bat.’ If a batter at the non-strikers end leaves their crease by a millimeter, have them run without a bat. It is mandatory to dive for every run. Let them work for it.
AndAlso subtract two runs per violation. Why not?
2. Smaller the Boundary, Wider the Stumps
Boundaries are getting smaller by the day. Let’s do this—The shorter the boundary, the wider the stumps.
At the 90 meter MCG boundaries, we play with the regular three stumps. At the Chinnaswamy, increase the wicket to 6 stumps.
3. Each Bowler will get a customized Ball suited to their Strengths
These days, bats are getting bigger. Batters work with manufacturers to get customized bats.
So why do bowlers play with the same standardized balls?
Each bowler should get to pick their favorite balls and stop the match in the middle to switch balls whenever they feel like it.We want Duke balls, SG, Kookaburra, old balls, new balls, used balls, tape balls, tennis balls, red balls, white balls, pink balls, the complete lot!
4. No Cap on Bowlers Quota
If Jos Buttler can carry the bat and play the 20 overs, let’s give Sunil Narine the opportunity to open the bowling and end with figures of 10-3-42-7.
5. Batters can only play 24 Balls Maximum
On the flip side, if Jasprit Bumrah is limited to 24 balls, KL Rahul should be limited to just 24 balls (Oh wait…that might actually be a good thing for the batting team…You get my point)
6. Batters Can Only Hit 2 Aerial Shots Per Over
There are only 2 bouncers allowed per over for the bowler. There should only be 2 aerial shots attempted per over for the batter.
7. If Batters Can Switch Hit Without Notice, Bowlers should be able to Switch Bowl Without Notice
Kevin Pietersen and David Warner are allowed to switch hit and take advantage of every corner of the ground. No problem with the that, hats off to them.
Allow the great scientist, Ravichandran Ashwin, to start his line up around the wicket, change to over the wicket, dance around the umpire, and change his action from right arm off-leg spinner to left arm wrist spinner.
8. More Sponsorship for the Bowlers
Umm…this is not satire. Bowlers should actually receive more sponsorship.
9. Flatter the Pitch, Lesser the Overs
At the beginning of each innings, a pitch report should be conducted where experts take their magnifying glasses and lay down flush on the pitch to count the number of cracks and blades of grass. That number should be given to the Duckworth-Lewis-Sterns of the current era.
They will come up with a formula to reduce the number of overs from the maximum of 20. Flatter the pitch, more overs are reduced.
10. If Dew is Present, Batters Will Play with Gloves Dipped in Oil
Too easy to chase these days when dew is present.
At the first sign of dew, umpires will give the batters special gloves dipped in oil for the remainder of the match.
11. Let’s add a bowling Powerplay, where all 15 players in the Squad are on the Field
Batters get a Powerplay to encourage strokeplay in the first six.
Bowlers should get a 4-over Bowling Powerplay where the rest of the squad, coaches, team management, and Jonty Rhodes come out to the field and cover every inch of the ground.
17 years since it’s inception, the Indian Premier League has taken world cricket by storm. Today we reflect upon the best IPL players to have ever played in the league.
Over a hundred players were considered in this rankings. Suresh Raina edges MS Dhoni for the top spot with AB de Villiers, Sunil Narine, David Warner, and Virat Kohli following closely.
Top 15 Greatest IPL Cricketers of All-Time: Undisputed Legends of the League
Notable Achievements: First Player to 5000 IPL Runs, 7 consecutive seasons with 400+ runs, has scored the most runs in IPL playoffs
For the first decade of the tournament, Suresh Raina was synonymous with the tournament. Mr. IPL, as he was often called, he took the tournament by force.
If you want to understand the impact Suresh Raina had on the IPL, just watch his 87 (25) against KXIP, which he scored during the Powerplay. ‘Chinna Thala’ to CSK fans, he kept the batting line up together for the Haydens & Husseys up top and the Dhonis & Jadejas to follow.
A handy spinner at the Chepauk and one of the best fielders India ever produced.
Notable Achievements: Most Number of Sixes Between 16-20 Overs, Second Most Wins as IPL Captain
When the IPL began way back in 2008, not many would have anticipated MS Dhoni to be as closely associated as we now know it. The boy from Ranchi is the ‘Thala’ to CSK fans.
MS Dhoni can finish games with his monstrous sixes, transform Shardul Thakur to become the Lord, take a dad’s army and win the IPL, and can win matches by ‘bits and pieces’ players.
He may be one of the best hitters of the IPL, but he is most definitely, the best captain the IPL has ever produced.
Notable Achievements: In IPL 2016, ABD scored 687 runs at 52.84 average and an astonishing SR of 168.79, which included one century and six fifties
AB De Villiers’ assault against Dale Steyn is perhaps the most eye catching batting in the IPL.
Countrymen, both at their peaks, battled against each other in a close game. AB de Villiers was the clear winner, sweeping & reverse swatting Steyn. In that game, de Villiers went from a great batter to a legendary one.
One of the few overseas players loved across all of India.
Notable Achievements: MVP IPL 2018, Best SR in 2018 (189.89), Economy Rate of 6.74, IPL career batting SR of 160.79
The cricket world has not seen as versatile of a player as Sunil Narine.
The first mystery spinner to consistently be a threat across multiple seasons, his economy rate suffocated the opposition.
Second highest wicket taker in IPL 2012 & 2014, Narine was one of the central cogs to KKR’s IPL triumphs.
After being called for illegal action in international cricket, Narine’s effectiveness temporarily decreased. However, he bounced off as a pinch hitter and a decent bowler. The 105-run partner with Chris ‘LynnSanity’ Lynn in the Powerplay is one of the iconic moments in all the IPLs.
Notable Achievements: Orange Cap Winner (2015, 2017, 2019). Boasts an average of 41.51 in IPL cricket
After arriving at Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner was a completely different beast.
From 2014 onwards, Warner scored 528, 562, 848, 641, 692, and 548 runs respectively in consecutive season.
Leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to a victory in 2016 having to go through the Eliminator, Qualifier, and the Finals has to be the highlight of his IPL career. He scored 93*(58) in the Qualifier and 69 (58) in the Final.
Unfortunate in the way he was removed from SRH after creating a lasting legacy.
Notable Achievements: Purple Cap (2011). Took 28, 22, and 20 in IPL 2011-13 respectively as well as 24 wickets in 2015.
In a world starting to love the six fest in T20 cricket, Lasith Malinga made pace, yorkers, and dot balls sexy.
One of the moments of the tournament was the IPL 2019 Final. 9 needed in the final over, Malinga kept it tight before delivering a slower yorker to outfox Shardul Thakur and win the tournament for the Mumbai Indians yet again.
Notable Achievements: Leading Run Scorer in all of the IPL, Most Hundreds in the IPL (7), Orange Cap Winner (2016) and scored the most runs in a single IPL season ever (973)
Virat Kohli’s 2016 season is the single greatest individual performance in any cricket league around the world.
With four centuries and 973 runs, Kohli lead RCB to the finals only to come agonizingly short by 8 runs in a high score chase.
A constant fixture for RCB over the years, forming great partnerships with Gayle, de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, and Maxwell, Kohli established himself as the premier Indian batter in the competition.
Notable Achievements: Purple Cap Winner (2013, 2015)
Constantly competing with his friend, Kieron Pollard, for the most T20 franchise wins in history, Bravo developed his skill as a canny medium pacer in the IPL.
He could bowl at the death or the middle overs and was a handful with his batting cameos as well.
One of the few players to win the IPL for both the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings.
Notable Achievements: 5-Time IPL Winning Captain, Has a Hat-Trick in the IPL
Emerging Player award winner of IPL 2009 with DC, Rohit Sharma would fulfill his potential as a batter and as a captain.
Changed the trajectory of the MI franchise, created a legacy, and was the ideal opener till 2017.
Although the runs have dried up in the last seven years, he remains as shrewd as ever as a leader in the side. Will be interesting to see how he performs under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya.
Notable Achievements: MVP (2011), Orange Cap (2011, 2012), Most Sixes in a Season (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015), Most IPL Sixes of All-time (357), Highest Individual Score (175*)
An injury substitute changed the history of RCB forever. In 2011, Gayle came as a substitute and became the orange cap holder.
With Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers, RCB formed one of the great IPL top orders.
It is safe to say that Chris Gayle took the IPL to another level.
Notable Achievements: MVP (2015, 2019), Most Sixes in IPL 2019. The best IPL strike rates in all of IPL (175.55). Dre Russ has hit more sixes (200) than fours (153)
Muscular built like a NFL superstar, Andre Russell has changed power-hitting in cricket. Even mistime hits go into the second tier.
Dre Russ is the complete package as a boundary rider and a death bowling specialist. KKR has preserved him (and Narine) even though his knee doesn’t function every now and then.
Teams: Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings
Years Played: 2008-2020
IPL Wins: 2008, 2018
Notable Achievements: MVP (2008), Player of the Final (2018)
Shane Watson was one of the first international stars of the IPL. Out of favor from the international side, Watson’s 2008 all-round performance took RR to the inaugural win.
At the end of his career with CSK, his playoff and finals performance in IPL 2018 was one of IPL’s most memorable stories.
Notable Achievements: Part of the most IPL winning campaigns
Ambati Rayudu was the backbone of the middle order (and sometimes as an opener) for both the great IPL franchises, Mumbai Indians & Chennai Super Kings.
MI provided Rayudu the opportunity to bounce back after his ICL ban, while CSK provided the perfect farewell after he was no longer considered in international cricket.
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Years Played: 2011-
IPL Wins: 2016
Stats: 162 Matches, 170 Wickets, 32 Catches
Notable Achievements: Purple Cap Winner (2016, 2017)
The only bowler apart from Dwayne Bravo to win two Purple Caps in the IPL.
SRH showed the world that strong bowling wins tournaments, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar lead this effort for them. At the height of his IPL career, Bhuvneshwar spearheaded both the swing department and the death bowling.
Known for his leadership, Gambhir led from the front in 2012 with 590 runs. Along with Robin Uthappa & Manish Pandey, formed a top order to take KKR to great heights.
Back at Delhi after KKR stint, he took the courageous decision to drop himself midway through the IPL after a patch of poor form.
KKR has still not reached the heights that Gambhir took them to all these years later.
Teams: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune Warriors India, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings
IPL Wins: 2014, 2021
Stats: 205 Matches, 4952 Runs
Notable Achievements: Orange Cap Winner (2014)
If Gambhir scored the bulk of the runs in KKR’s 2012 triumph, it was Robin Uthappa who was a class apart in 2014.
It took Uthappa a while to find his feet in the IPL with different teams, but he had three brilliant phases.
In IPL 2010, he was the finisher of the tournament. Then he scored lots of runs at KKR, and finally ended his career at CSK after playing a couple of eye-catching innings.
One of the most talented batters India has ever produced, KL Rahul is always among the runs. Yet he finds himself under scrutiny from time to time for his strike rate and captaincy.
Expect him to rise in the list and win trophies over the next decade.
Teams: Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians
Years Played: 2008-
IPL Wins: 2014
Stats: 183 Matches, 181 Wickets
Notable Achievements: 3rd Highest Wicket-Taker in IPL History
For 10 months, you forget that Piyush Chawla is younger than Kohli, Russell, Narine, DK, and whole lots of other players. Enter IPL time, Chawla is on another level, one of the most consistent wicket-taker of the league.
In 2023, he ended up picking 22 wickets, his highest haul in a season.
Notable Achievements: 3rd Highest Wicket-Taker in IPL History
Suryakumar Yadav has made the #4 position his own at the Mumbai Indians.
Started his career with quick cameos at KKR but has produced 300+ seasons every year since 2018. In 2023, he scored 605 runs at 43.21 average and an astonishing 181.14 SR.
Probably one of India’s greatest T20 finisher, Dinesh Karthik had to redevelop his game over the years.
His first success was with the MI, batting at #3. Later, he developed as a dependable #5 batter-captain-keeper at KKR before becoming a full-time finisher (and commentator) during his time at RCB.
Notable Achievements: Three 500+ run seasons (2019, 2020, 2022)
Honorable Mentions:
Those Who May Make This List in the Future: Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nicholas Pooran, Axar Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Prithvi Shaw, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Anrich Nortje, Shimron Hetmyer
Unluckly to Miss Out: Kane Williamson, Saurabh Tiwary, Rahul Tripathi, Trent Boult, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Glenn Maxwell, Brendon McCullum, Krunal Pandya, Manish Pandey, Harshal Patel, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana, Hashim Amla, Siddharth Kaul, R Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Siddharth Trivedi, Rahul Dravid, Chris Morris, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Virender Sehwag, Ben Stokes, Andrew Symonds, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mike Hussey, Matthew Hayden, Murali Vijay, Andrew Tye, Rahul Tewatia, Jonny Bairstow, Morne Morkel, Albie Morkel, Nitish Rana, Subramanian Badrinath, Rajat Bhatia, Dale Steyn, Manvinder Bisla, Yuvraj Singh, Sohail Tanvir, Laxmipathy Balaji, Kumar Sangakkara
Let’s discuss the most valuable IPL cricketers—with a twist.
In the 17 years of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which batter has provided the best return on investment in terms of hitting sixes? The #1 batter on this list may surprise you!
Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
Chris Gayle (357), Rohit Sharma (257), AB De Villiers (251), MS Dhoni (239), and Virat Kohli (234) have hit the most sixes in the IPL.
Ambati Rayudu ($34,442), Chris Gayle ($37,808), Jos Buttler ($43,812), and Andre Russell ($45,430) have the best ratios of dollar per six in IPL history, while Rohit Sharma ($116,381), MS Dhoni ($119,280), and Virat Kohli ($120,470) have been the most expensive buys per six in this list.
Andre Russell is just a beast in the frequency of sixes he hits. He takes approximately 6.74 balls per six, that is almost one per over! Russell is comfortably ahead of the other two West Indians on this list—Chris Gayle (9.34), Kieron Pollard (10.39) who are then followed by AB de Villiers (13.56), Yusuf Pathan (14.18), Jos Buttler (14.58), and Shane Watson (14.78).
Chris Gayle (2.53), KL Rahul (1.54), and AB De Villiers (1.48) have the best ratio for the most sixes per innings.
Most Sixes in IPL Career
To begin our analysis, here is the list of players with the most number of sixes hit in the IPL.
Player
Innings
Sixes
Chris Gayle
142
357
Rohit Sharma
143
257
AB de Villiers
170
251
MS Dhoni
218
239
Virat Kohli
229
234
David Warner
176
226
Kieron Pollard
171
223
Suresh Raina
200
203
Andre Russell
96
193
Shane Watson
141
190
Sanju Samson
148
182
Robin Uthappa
197
182
Ambati Rayudu
187
173
KL Rahul
109
168
Glenn Maxwell
120
158
Yusuf Pathan
154
158
Jos Buttler
95
149
Yuvraj Singh
126
149
Shikhar Dhawan
218
148
Honorable Mentions: Faf du Plessis – 145, Dinesh Karthik – 139, Nitish Rana – 131, and Brendon McCullum – 130 miss out).
Top 19 Most Valuable Six Hitters in the Indian Premier League (IPL)
*Note: We have limited our analysis to the top 19 six hitters in the IPL (cutoff of 148 sixes).
Ambati Rayudu may probably be one of the steals of the IPL auctions!
Because Rayudu was an uncapped player for early part of his IPL career, his IPL salary was comparatively low to his contemporaries. He was a clutch player for both MI & CSK over the years and was worth every penny.
However, take this list with a grain of salt. The fact that Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli end at the bottom of the list is due to the fact that they were retained almost every time. We are only comparing dollars per six here, but these three provided their IPL franchises a lot more value—Leadership, Fours, Runs, Orange Caps, IPL Titles, brand value, fan loyalty, match winning performances, and much more.
Thanks for reading, until next time.
Please do share ahead with your cricket loving friends!
After all, he was fifteen days away from his 38th birthday. How long could he possibly bowl his bloody bouncers on flat pitches through the dead heat in the middle of Day 3?
Well probably till he was 82 or somethin’. Wagner could likely continue to bowl his heart out if his team needed him to till the very day he died.
Because that is what Wagner did.
What Made Wagner Special?
Did Wagner swing it like Southee? No.
Did he bend it like Boult? Nope.
Was he as fast as Shoaib? As scary as Murali? As consistent as McGrath?
No, No, and No.
So what made Wagner special? One word—Grit. Author Travis Bradberry’s quote can be applied to perfectly sum up Wagner’s character:
“Grit is that ‘extra something’ that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become reality.”
Surely he has grit. After all, he famously said, “Unless they carry me off a stretcher, I am going to try and do everything I can.”
You can’t help but love Neil Wagner. He is a fighter. He is a warrior.
Wagner could swing it just enough. He was ultra scary for short periods of time. He could crank up his speeds for a few spells in a Test. And boy, was he consistent with those short ball spells used to trap set batters.
The fact that he could combine these multiple skill sets together over long periods of time is what set him apart.
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Although Wagner in his own words did not think of himself as the “most talent or most gifted bloke,” he was exactly the type of character that the team needed. One that would give it his all regardless of the conditions or the circumstances of the match.
Partially due to the quota system, Wagner never got his big break in South African cricket. So he decided to leave his home nation to find a better opportunity in England. Although he had a couple of decent seasons in the County circuit, this did not work out either. It was coach Mike Hesson who sought Wagner’s services in New Zealand.
It featured perhaps New Zealand’s best fast bowling unit—Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson.
Four versatile bowlers that played their own roles beautifully. Statistically speaking, Southee, Boult, and Wagner are definitely in the Top 5 of New Zealand’s all time bowling list (If you take Vettori out of the list, Hadlee-Southee-Boult-Wagner are clearly NZ’s Top 4 fast bowlers).
In Test cricket, Wagner is New Zealand’s
5th Highest Wicket-Taker (260)
5th Best Figures in an Innings (7/39 vs West Indies)
In an era of T20 dominance, Wagner ended up playing 205 first class matches, including 64 Tests. Although he played 116 List A matches and 86 domestic T20s, he never played a single limited over international.
Neil Wagner’s Greatest Moments
As a fast bowler, Neil Wagner was involved in multiple great battles.
Two characters that just never back down. Wagner kept bowling bouncers, Wade kept taking the blows and later pulled and hooked Wagner. And the leg slip setup to Steve Smith in that series was just wonderful to watch. A great diving caught and bowled later in the series as well.
Another memorable moment was the 1-run win against England in 2023. What an ending.
What Will I remember the Most?
The roar of a tiger. The expressions. The perfect team man.
His energy and the whole vibe. It felt like he simultaneously played for the fun of the game like like an innocent child but also played with the seriousness as if his life depended on it.
What did Neil Wagner teach me?
Wagner taught me to never back down in the face of adversity. Win or lose, but give it every ounce of energy you got. He taught me to tackle problems from different perspectives and keep innovating. He taught me to encourage others while learning from them at the same time.
And most importantly, he taught me to stay true to who you are.
Humility, character, determination. That’s what Neil Wagner was all about.
I will leave you with another quote, this time from the legendary basketball player, Larry Bird.
“I’ve got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.”
Larry Bird
Neil Wagner gave his 100% all the time, both on and off the field.
And at the end of the day, things did work out for him in the end.
Neil Wagner, Legend.
Neil Wagner Retirement Video
Do watch Neil Wagner’s emotional retirement press conference.
Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, and Neil Wagner, three of the stalwarts of NZ’s WTC Final victory have stepped off the international scene. The transition period is real. Only Southee, Boult, and Williamson left now. Let’s appreciate them while we can.
