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New Delhi: TheIPL has strongly established its position as cricket’s biggest T20 franchise league in the world. It is also one of the most-followed sports leagues in the world, but still has room for improvement in terms of players’ rights and welfare, according to the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) rankings.

According to a latest ranking released by the global players’ body, the IPL has ranked behind newer franchise leagues in the world for players’ rights and welfare. The cash-rich league ranked third, behind England’s The Hundred and South Africa’s SA20 league. The global players’ body rated IPL at 62.6 on the said parameter, after The Hundred’s 75.2 and SA20’s 68.

However, the IPL earned the highest points to remain on top for average payment and payment reliability, but still fell behind in crucial areas such as “right to organise” and “dispute resolutions”, according to a Reuters report.

The IPL received heavy scrutiny in January after the BCCI directed the Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman amid backlash over ongoing political tensions between India and its neighbouring countries.

The controversy escalated further when Bangladesh decided to boycott the T20 World Cup, which was co-hosted by India in February-March, due to safety concerns.

WCA Chief Executive Tom Moffat said in a statement that the growth of domestic leagues has been immensely positive for cricket, but still has the potential to be even better.

“We want all sanctioned leagues to be successful, and ​to provide fair ​protections and standards ⁠for people within them,” he added.

The IPL 2026 will begin on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.