ECB concerned over rising power of overseas franchises.

ISLAMABAD -- The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has warned of the potentially cataclysmic impact of the rising power of overseas franchises such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) while the appeal of Test cricket declines.

English cricket's governing body said the 'emergence and growth of global franchise leagues' and 'the status of Test cricket globally' pose major risks to its business model in its latest accounts, The Guardian reported.

With the ECB expected to overhaul its central contracts system - introducing multi-year deals and significantly increasing match fees in an effort to retain the loyalty of leading players - it also draws attention to the 'pressure on player wage inflation in a highly competitive market' as a potential threat.

The owners of several IPL teams are known to want to tie players to 12-month contracts and it was recently reported that several English cricketers had been approached to see if they would, in principle, be willing to accept such a deal.

Venky Mysore, the chief executive of the Kolkata Knight Riders, said last year: 'If we were able to have 'X' number of contracted players, and were able to use them all in different leagues, I think that would be nirvana. Hopefully, someday it will happen.'

The ECB's...