Cricket has never been just about skill or results. Behind every tournament, format shift, and scheduling decision lies a deeper game of money, incentives, and power. From revenue concentration to unequal growth, the modern structure of cricket tells a story that fans rarely pause to question.

This episode of Cricktake breaks down the economics behind ICC’s decisions. Joined by our first-ever guest, an Economics PhD Student, we examine how cricket’s financial boom reshaped governance, why money doesn’t automatically improve quality, how associate nations are left behind, and whether ICC today acts more like a governing body or an economic institution. A clear-eyed look at who benefits, who doesn’t, and where the game may be headed if nothing changes.

#icc #cricket #cricketgoverningbody #bcci #ipl #economics

02:06 – What Is the Economics of Cricket

06:09 – How ICC Revenues Exploded

12:38 – Why the IPL Became Inevitable

27:48 – Does Money Actually Improve Cricket?

32:00 – Revenue Concentration & The India Question

42:57 – Associate Nations & Unequal Growth

58:56 – Final Verdict: What ICC is Doing Well and Where it can Improve

RELATED EPISODES

West Indies Cricket: The Eventual Decline (Part 1)

👉 https://youtu.be/rKdZfmh9UuY

Unwrapping Asia Cup 2025

👉 https://youtu.be/ciN4b6bsiEU

The Ultimate ‘Test’: Saving Test Cricket

👉 https://youtu.be/thqxof0N-0U

🎧 Listen, Read, Follow: https://ecosystem.cricktake.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cricktake/id1849728711

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Instagram, TikTok, Substack & Medium.

After decades of dominance at home, India’s Test fortress has finally cracked. From historic collapses and selection puzzles to dressing-room tensions hiding in plain sight, this downturn has a face, and it belongs to Gautam Gambhir.

This episode of Cricktake dissects the most turbulent stretch of India’s red-ball era. We break down the missteps, the ignored performers, the shifting power equations, and the staggering numbers behind a decline few saw coming. A raw, unfiltered look at the man, the moment, and the meltdown reshaping Indian Test cricket.

01:13 - India’s Red-Ball Collapse

01:58 - Fan Outrage & Emotional Meltdown

05:21 - Shubman Gill, Workload & Format Confusion

15:07 - Selection Mess & Ignoring Domestic Performers

18:05 - Gambhir’s Hypocrisy & Coaching Credibility

35:56 - Dressing Room Politics: Virat, Rohit & The Rift

38:55 - The Stats That Bury Gambhir

41:32 - Final Take & The Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ending

West Indies weren’t just a cricket team, they were a symbol of unity, resistance, and Caribbean identity.

Part 1 of this two-part series explores how a scattered group of islands stitched together a cricketing civilization and created one of the most dominant teams in sports history.

01:17 - The Birth of West Indies Cricket

01:40 - Frank Worrell & the First Revolution

16:31 - Clive Lloyd’s Golden Era

22:21 - Sir Vivian Richards: The Aura

29:53 - The Fall Begins