Cricket Australia, the game’s governing body in the country, has offered David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins multi-year contracts to convince them to miss the Indian Premier League for the next three years, reported the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday.
According to the report, these top Australian cricketers were verbally offered three-year deals instead of the usual one-year central contract by Pat Howard, the general manager of team performance, on the condition that they miss the IPL. The reasoning behind this move, according to CA, was to ensure that the players have a break during the periods when the IPL is played, in April and May, and minimise injuries and breaks.
However, the offers were reportedly met with a lukewarm response. As per the report, the offers would need to be significant to lure away David Warner and Steve Smith who collect more than $1 million a year for their IPL franchises. That amount could rise with the media rights for the next five seasons expected to go for big bucks once the current season ends.
The development also comes at a time when the Australian Cricketers’ Association rejected a pay and conditions proposal from Cricket Australia in April, calling it unfair and disrespectful.
