Breadcrumb Trail Links
Published May 19, 2026 • 4 minute read
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Canada fans show their support with flags during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in 2024. Getty ImagesArticle content
The city of Brampton paraded its mayor Patrick Brown and a host of councillors at the launch of the inaugural National Cricket League 20, which will be played from July 16 to Aug. 1.
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While, nationally, the International Cricket Council has officially frozen funding to Cricket Canada for the next six months. The dramatic decision comes in the wake of severe governance failures, inaccurate financial disclosures and multi-layered match-fixing investigations.
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It’s a shame the new committee that has been in power for less than a month has had to wear these impediments passed on by the former committee headed by Amjad Bajwa.
All credit to the new committee led by Arvinder Khosa, which appears to be moving in the right direction and has established a clear action plan to deliver the necessary reforms. With proactive leadership, structured governance measures and a commitment to transparency and accountability, the road ahead looks positive for the organization and the future of cricket in Canada.
The ICC also had flagged Cricket Canada for submitting inaccurate budget estimates. The board continued to list funding from Sport Canada as guaranteed income on their balance sheets, despite the Canadian government having already completely withdrawn that financial support.
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Furthermore, the board hid extensive legal costs, with court documents proving they spent up to $460,000 on internal litigation — a figure far exceeding what was declared to the ICC.
Is Cricket Canada involved with NCL?
Now back to the NCL and its president Arun Agarwal, who is hosting a Twenty20 league after a year’s hiatus at the CAA Centre in a city that has promoted itself as the cricket capital of the country.
There were a couple of glaring omissions when the birth of the new league was announced. Missing was Cricket Canada’s logo from the poster that featured the six competing teams.
Agarwal said it was “just an oversight and will be corrected.”
We also questioned why the previous league better known as Global T20 was being substituted by NCL20. Agarwal said it was a “new start and a new game as we move forward.”
Fair enough. But what Agarwal and his deep-pocketed backers did not mention to the 100 or more reporters, plus radio and television commentators at the launch is that the NCL20 had not yet been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council.
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Reached by phone in Texas on Tuesday, Agarwal was confident he will get positive news from the national body of the game.
“We remain confident about receiving the approval,’’ he said. “Prior to formally submitting the application, we had constructive discussions with the ICC where we presented our vision, structure, and long-term plans for the league.”
He added: “The response was very positive, and they were pleased with what we brought forward. We continue to work closely through the process.”
Why does league need to be sanctioned by ICC?
Without getting the greenlight, the league will in essence be without international stars. But this won’t stop the American entrepreneur from going ahead with running the league but it will essentially be an amateur event.
The six teams that will take to the field include the Brampton Blazers, Mississauga Skyhawks, Montreal Tigers, Surrey Fraser, Toronto Titans and Vancouver Guardians. One bright note is that the Brampton Blazers will be managed by the West Indies Cricket Board, whose CEO Chris Dehring attended the launch.
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“We will stack the squad with up-and-coming West Indian players and hopefully a couple of senior stars,’’ Dehring said. “Several West Indian stars have played in Canada before including Chris Gayle and wicket-keeper Nick Pooran and hopefully the youngsters will get much needed experience playing here.”
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Meanwhile Agarwal, who added he is confident of ICC approval, said his eventual aim is to see “Canadian players being the stars and not overseas players. We need local players to be the stars.”
As the teams start filling out their rosters, Agarwal’s management team has started erecting a temporary stadium behind the CAA Centre. This project could set him back some $1.2 million.
“The curator visited the field on Monday to get the wicket prepared and those erecting the stadium have also been hard at work,’’ Agarwal said.
Previous owners Bombay Sports, who ran the GT20, had complained about the cost of erecting the temporary stadium and were working with some local firms to put up a permanent facility. But Cricket Canada cut ties with Bombay Sports and it has taken the national body to court.
Bombay Sports is one of several bodies that sued the previous Cricket Canada committee and all are eagerly waiting for a decision from the court.
One highly anticipated case includes the one of wrongful dismissal filed by former national coach Pubudu Dassanayake. He now coaches the U.S. national team.
Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.
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