The PSL could break the ECB’s authority

English players focus on the PSL, Iyer on his new IPL captaincy, & Andy Flower on data.

James Vince is set to reject the County Championship and the ECB after picking a £100,000 PSL contract, and may be the first of many English outcasts.

The PSL could break the ECB’s authority

The PSL could break the ECB, Iyer on his new IPL captaincy, & why are ENG suddenly worried about AFG?

• David Warner & Kane Williamson headline the big buys at the PSL auction, the English players look for clarity on their NOCs for the tournament, & The Times’ Simon Wilde says the auction may re-write player power in England.

• The IPL begins on March 21, ESPNcricinfo’s Nagraj Gollapudi talks to Shreyas Iyer about becoming the Punjab Kings’ latest captain, & JioCinema is targetting ad revenues of INR 4,500 crore (~$520M) for the tournament.

• Despite the South African sports minister echoing British lawmakers’ calls for an Afghanistan cricket boycott, there will likely be no effect on the Champions Trophy matches. Arrangements of White on Green’s Jon Hotten traces England’s three-year late response to the Taliban’s effect on cricket.

• James Anderson will play for Lancashire during the county season, while The Guardian’s Tanya Aldred writes about the growing issue of flooding at county grounds in England.

The numbers paint a picture

Flower on data, Mandhana’s annus mirabilis, & IND-W’s impressive U19 captain.

• ESPNcricinfo’s Shashank Kishore talks to Andy Flower about the importance of data in cricket, while Sidharth Monga takes a deep and interesting dive into the numbers from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

• Cricket.com’s Gaurav Nandan Tripathi writes about Smriti Mandhana’s all-conquering 2024, while News18’s Rudransh Khurana talks to India Women’s U-19 captain Niki Prasad about what it takes to stand out as a young leader.

• New Indian Express’ Gomesh S talks to Cricket Victoria’s Harish Rao about the rise of Indian-Australians among the administrative ranks in Australia cricket.

Dravid was a master of details

Dravid’s birthday, AUS-W’s new stars, & remembering WI’s first great batter.

• IVM’s Cyrus Broacha & Joy Bhattacharjya remember Rahul Dravid’s greatness on his birthday.

• Powerplay’s Firdose Moonda & Valkerie Baynes talk to Georgia Voll about the new crop of Aussie players coming through. [Apple Podcasts]

• Never on the Backfoot’s Neha Shetty talks to umpire and journalist Juili Ballal about the recent India Women’s matches, and how the team lines up for the World Cup later this year. [Apple Podcasts]

• Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber & Behram Qazi remember the first great batter to come out of the West Indies, George Headley.

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