International League T20 (ILT20) is in trouble just after the inaugural edition in early 2023. All six franchises and broadcaster Zee Entertainment Enterprise have written to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to renegotiate the current deal and alter the business model.

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ILT20: Owned by three IPL team owners besides Glazers Family and Adani Group, ILT20 was launched with a fresh perspective. With lucrative deals for cricketers, it took off. However, on the financial side, it has not done much. Franchises have incurred losses and the main reason is the 10-year lock-in period for franchises.

Franchises can only have a share of the central pool after 10 years. But to avoid further losses, franchises want to alter the deal and start getting a chunk of the revenue from ILT20 2024.

ILT20 Teams:

• Gulf Giants
• Desert Vipers
• MI Emirates
• Dubai Capitals
• Sharjah Warriors
• Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Zee wants to renegotiate the ILT20 broadcast deal

If franchise grievance is already a problem, Emirates’s ILT20 is also facing the heat from the broadcaster Zee as per a News18 report. Zee paid over Rs 800 Cr for global media rights (TV & Digital both) for ILT20. However, with meager returns from the first season, Zee wants to negotiate the price.

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“After evaluating the first season, Zee too may want to renegotiate terms. It initially got into a ten-year arrangement which was believed to be over Rs 800 crore. The first season has given the media house a better sense of the numbers game,” News18 quoted an industry source.

The first season had some of the top cricketers including Andre Russell in it. With BBL, SA20, and BPL running simultaneously, ILT20 faced hurdles in viewership.

Adani Group-owned Gulf Giants won the first season of International League T20. They beat Desert Vipers in the final of the six-team tournament.