Year in review: 2025’s top cricket industry stories #41-#50

We’re counting down the biggest cricket industry stories of the year.

Below are #41 to #50

#50: Afghanistan Premier League 2.0 announced

Afghanistan’s moment: inside the Dubai launch that reset the APL’s ambitions (Dec 23)

Afghanistan Premier League to return in 2025 with new commercial deal and global ambitions (Aug 18)

#49: WCA issues reform proposals; met with ICC Pushback

“The system is broken”: WCA calls for global overhaul of cricket’s calendar and governance (Mar 27)

ICC backs BCCI in rejecting WCA player reform push — “Just a trade union making noise” (May 4)

WCA releases FAQ document to clarify global cricket reform vision and answer ICC backlash (May 1)

“If you control the calendar, you control the sport” – guest post by SACA CEO (Feb 11)

#48: Match fixing and corruption allegations continue in all quarters

Four Assam cricketers suspended for corrupt approaches after Riyan Parag reports them (Dec 15)

ICC anti-corruption unit reportedly lands in Canada to investigate cricket betting scam (Jun 12)

ECB suspends Pakistani cricketers’ agent over anti-corruption breaches (May 4)

#47: ETPL gears up for 2026 launch with major team announcements

Inside the ETPL’s bold push to make Europe cricket’s next frontier (Oct 2)

Warren Deutrom appointed Director of ETPL and Chair of parent Rules X, as Brian MacNeice named ETPL Board Chair (Sep 22)

Cricket Ireland: Abhishek Bachchan promotes ETPL (Mar 19)

Cricket Ireland: ICC sanctions European T20 Premier League (Jan 5)

Abhishek Bachchan joins European T20 Premier League as Co-Owner (Jan 8)

European T20 Premier League to launch in 2026 with backing from Ireland, Scotland, and Netherlands (Jun 9)

#46: Harry Brook withdraws from IPL for national duty, receives ban and praise

Harry Brook hit with two-year IPL ban—what this means for players & teams (Mar 17)

Harry Brook withdraws from IPL again, faces likely 2 year ban (Mar 10)

“Cost him millions”: ECB chair praises Harry Brook’s sacrifice, England’s growing national team loyalty (Aug 4)

ECB exec urges players to prioritize England over IPL (Apr 1)

CSA reverses stance, allows South Africa players to play in IPL 2025 playoffs (May 16)

Harry Brook prioritizes England over IPL: “Franchise cricket can take a step back” (Apr 14)

Delhi Capitals sign Afghanistan’s Sediqullah Atal to replace Harry Brook in IPL 2025 (May 9)

Harry Brook lands £470,000 (approx. US$ 629.8K) Sunrisers Leeds deal after IPL ban sidelines him from 2026 and 2027 seasons (Dec 12)

#45: MLC launches in Oakland Colisum on 2024 NY World Cup Pitch

Major League Cricket Goes Coast to Coast — Launching 2025 Season in Oakland (Mar 27)

Cricket takes over Oakland: Shane Watson and Anil Kumble to headline Cricket Impact Lunch ahead of MLC opener (Jun 3)

Legends, leaders, and the rise of U.S. cricket: Inside the Cricket Impact Lunch in San Francisco (Jun 19)

#44: Boycotts and campaigns draw attention to Afghanistan women’s cricket plight

Afghanistan chief selector criticises Australia for boycotting bilateral series over political stance (Nov 11)

Taliban leader Anas Haqqani on Maxwell’s 200, Kohli’s retirement, and Afghanistan’s bid to host international cricket (Sep 16)

UK Prime Minister weighs in on Afghanistan boycott (Jan 13)

ACB responds to calls for boycotting Afghanistan men at Champions Trophy (Feb 11)

Cricket Australia CEO Hockley supportive of players taking position on Afghanistan (Jan 28)

ECB presses ICC to sanction ACB over women’s rights abuses (Jan 13)

Mel Jones receives MCC Spirit of Cricket Award for aiding Afghanistan women’s team (Apr 7)

Former President Karzai celebrates Afghan women’s team in exile, predicts success ‘like their brothers’ (Feb 4)

#43: Apollo Tyres Steps in as India’s Jersey Sponsor, Adidas as kit partner

Apollo Tyres becomes new Team India jersey sponsor in ₹579 crore (US$66m) BCCI deal (Sep 17)

BCCI and Adidas unveil India’s T20 World Cup 2026 jersey with first‑ever on‑ground reveal in Raipur (Dec 5)

Toyota and fintech firm in talks to replace Dream11 as Team India sponsor after BCCI split (Aug 27)

WPP and ITW in race for BCCI front-of-jersey sponsorship for Indian national team (Sep 16)

Team India jersey deal “not overpaid,” says Apollo Tyres Vice Chairman Neeraj Kanwar (Sep 22)

BCCI signs ₹45 crore (US$ 5m) deal with Asian Paints, boosts sponsorship earnings to ₹180 crore (US$ 20m) (Nov 25)

#42: Samson and Jadeja swapped in one of biggest trades in IPL history

Ravindra Jadeja opens up on emotional Rajasthan Royals return ahead of IPL 2026 (Nov 24)

Jadeja-for-Samson trade? CSK and RR in advanced talks ahead of IPL 2026 (Nov 10)

#41: BCCI and IPL financial juggernaut continues to grow unabated

BCCI adds $1.66 billion to cash balance over five years as annual profits hit record levels (Sep 8)

IPL 2025 opening weekend sets viewership record with 49.56 billion minutes watched (Mar 30)

IPL 2025 sees record sponsorship surge—teams cash in big! (Mar 18)

BCCI’s IPL 2025 earnings soar as domestic media revenue projected to hit $1.21 billion (Jun 11)

JioStar delivers record-breaking IPL 2025: 1 billion viewers, 840 billion minutes watched (Jun 20)