Counties may merge for EPL

PCA chief executive Sean Morris has hinted at merging the 18 first-class counties to form six regional sides to compete in the EPL.

PCA plot world-class Twenty20 event

Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, has hinted at the possibility of merging the 18 first-class counties to form six regional sides to compete in a world-class Twenty20 league. The PCA have coming under growing pressure to react to the blaze of public interest which has surrounded the multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League. The ECB is committed to introducing an inaugural Premier League by 2010 prompting Morris into debating whether a tournament involving all 18 first-class counties could attract the necessary popularity. The only England player due to compete in the IPL is Dimitri Mascarenhas - the Hampshire captain is set to join Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals for a two-week spell in May.

Compromise

However, with huge sums on offer for relatively small time commitments, fears have escalated that players may compromise their county positions in pursuit of the big money. Kevin Pietersen and Ryan Sidebottom have both publicly stated their interest in standing toe-to-toe with the world's best in the IPL, and Morris believes it is time to give serious thought to setting up an equally attractive event domestically. "This is the biggest opportunity we will ever get to restructure," Morris told The Guardian. "I am very open minded about the future, but I don't automatically envisage the EPL being played by the 18 first-class counties.

Agreement

"You can have all 18 counties, with a few overseas players involved, play-offs, all good stuff. But when you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up? "We need to have a product that is exportable back to India, because that is where the money is. To do that you need India's agreement. "You are going to need some of their top players. There is no reason why their franchisees wouldn't mind playing a few more games in England. That seems an entirely plausible option." How regions may look: North
Yorkshire
Lancashire
Durham London
Surrey
Middlesex
Essex South
Hampshire
Kent
Sussex Wales and West
Glamorgan
Gloucestershire
Somerset West Midlands
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
Northants East Midlands
Nottinghamshire
Leicestershire
Derbyshire