Left-arm pacer Josh Little is the first Ireland cricketer to get a contract in the Indian Premier League, ensuring the biggest pay packet ever collected by an Irish player. 

The Leinster Lightning bowler was the subject of a bidding war between the Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants. The Ahmedabad-based Titans won the battle, paying 40.4million rupees, around €460,000, for his services for two months.

Standard fare for a golfer maybe, but few Irish sportspeople will have earned so much so quickly.

With fees and taxes, the Dubliner will still have plenty left over to treat his Pembroke clubmates to a round or two this summer. 

The IPL is one of the most lucrative competitions in sport – Star India paid $2.4billion over five years up to 2022 for the TV rights while the next round is expected to be in the region of $7billion, second only to the National Football League in the US. For its billions Star and its customers get 400million viewers a game, with another 260m watching streams.

It has brought untold riches to a sport where Irish players earn  modest sums in comparison to other team games. The IPL franchises are owned by tycoons and Bollywood Stars, and each of the ten sides is valued at more than €1billion. Gujarat Titans’ home stadium has a capacity of 132,000.

The bowling of Little, 23, impressed many at the T20 World Cup last month, where he proved both fiery and economical in taking 11 wickets in seven matches, including a hat-trick against New Zealand.

‘The combination of pace, consistent disciplined lines, left-arm angle and the rare ability to move the ball away off the seam make him very effective’, cooed former Dutch captain Peter Borren.

Little, who was aged 16 on his Ireland debut in 2016, has won 76 caps and taken 97 wickets. His sisters Hannah (21) and Louise (19) have also played for Ireland.

He is set for a busy winter in cricket’s expanding franchise league scene.

Little will play for the Pretoria Capitals in South Africa’s SA20 from 10 January to 11 February before flying to Pakistan to join the Multan Sultans in the PSL, which finishes on March 19. He has previously played in leagues in Sri Lanka and UAE, and was leading wicket-taker at The Men’s Hundred in England last summer.

There are clashes with Little’s Ireland commitments, but he has been released from a T20 series in Zimbabwe and a tour to Sri Lanka, but will join Andrew Balbirnie’s team for three ODIs in Harare from January 18-23.

With Ireland still in the hunt for a World Cup spot, the governing body has also insisted he turn out for Ireland during the IPL.

Cricket Ireland said: ‘Aware of the potential for Little to be successful in today’s draft, Cricket Ireland had indicated to both the player and the tournament organiser that a No Objection Certificate would be issued that would allow Little to participate in the entire IPL season, however with one brief exception that covers three World Cup Super League ODIs against Bangladesh.’

Ireland’s strong showing at the T20 World Cup, where they beat West Indies and England, has ensured several players have picked up franchise gigs this winter, such as Paul Stirling (Pakistan, UAE), Lorcan Tucker (US, UAE), Harry Tector (US, Nepal) and Curtis Campher (Bangladesh). Five others also played in the US Open in Florida.

Little, whose agent is former Ireland wicket-keeper Niall O’Brien, said last night: ‘I am absolutely delighted to be signed by the defending champions, the Gujarat Titans. To play under Hardik Pandya is really, really exciting. And to have Ashish Nehra as a coach is absolutely outstanding as he was such a skilful left arm quick himself.’

Little played several T20s in his teens but sprang to prominence with a fiery display in his debut ODI at Malahide three years ago. Eoin Morgan’s England won that one, but Little took 4-45, including the prize wicket of their captain to a fearsome bouncer.

He snapped at star players with many years’ more experience, and that feistiness carried on into the 2020 series when he dismissed Johnny Bairstow. He sent the England opener on his way with an earful of ribald commentary, earning an ICC reprimand.

‘I’ve always been a competitive guy,’ Little admits. ‘I like being in those high-pressure situations and I find I do best when I don’t back off – I like to get amongst it when I can. That’s just the way I go about my business.’

A clubmate suggested that Little is wired very differently to your typical Irish player. ‘We’d play a match on Saturday and we’d be all straight into the pints,’ he said. ‘But Josh would be off to the gym to do more work. He wasn’t always that dedicated but he’s turned it around.’

O’Brien is also impressed, saying ‘I am thrilled for Josh, who has made enormous strides in the last 12/18 months. Playing with and against top-quality opposition has fast-tracked his development. He is joining a very well run organisation and I have no doubt he will be hugely successful.’

Little is always willing to fight his corner too. Last year Little was net bowler for Chennai Super Kings but grew disillusioned with his lack of opportunities and returned home after two weeks. 

‘I couldn’t bowl when I wanted’ he told CricBuzz. ‘I’d get two overs in training and think, “Two overs, I’m halfway across the world here!” I’m an international cricketer; it didn’t seem right.’
‘When I found out I was a net bowler that was required to bowl at someone when the slingers were tired, I was like “get me out of here”.’  
He will be in no rush home from Ahmedabad in May.