ICC Plans Ballon d'Or-Style Awards Ceremony, Combines 2025 And 2026 Seasons

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is preparing to give its annual awards a major makeover, with the revamped ceremony set to return in 2027 after a two-year pause. The governing body plans to combine performances from the 2025 and 2026 cricket seasons into a single awards cycle as it looks to transform the platform into a major event on the global sporting calendar.

The decision marks a departure from the ICC's traditional approach of announcing its annual award winners through digital platforms and social media. Instead, the organisation is exploring a more elaborate, high-profile presentation that could bring cricket's leading players, teams and administrators together for an in-person celebration.

The ICC confirmed the development to The Guardian, explaining that the decision to hold back the 2025 edition was part of a wider rethink of how the awards should be presented.

"The ICC has presented its annual awards digitally for a number of years, but we deliberately held back the 2025 edition to rethink what that platform can, and should, look like," an ICC spokesperson told The Guardian.

"As a result of that rethink, we are now in the process of developing a new approach to the ICC awards, which will return in 2027 and treat 2025-26 as a single season, as we look to create a broader, more meaningful way for cricket to celebrate its leading players, teams and achievements."

The proposed revamp is aimed at elevating the stature of the ICC Awards and making them a significant occasion for the sport. The ambition is to establish an event comparable in profile to football's Ballon d'Or ceremony and the NFL Honors, moving beyond the digital-only format that has characterised the awards in recent years.

The combined 2025-26 cycle will also mean that performances across two calendar years will be considered when the awards return. Further details regarding the ceremony's format, venue, categories and selection process are yet to be announced.

ICC's global T20 tournament plans also face setback

The development comes amid another reported change in the ICC's broader plans for the international cricket calendar. Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that the governing body had shelved its proposal for a global franchise-based T20 tournament, ending the immediate prospect of a competition modelled on the former Champions League Twenty20.

The Champions League T20 was staged between 2009 and 2014, bringing together successful domestic T20 teams from different countries. Franchises and teams from competitions such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) featured in the tournament.

However, the competition was discontinued in 2015 after struggling with viewership, commercial returns and financial sustainability.

There had been renewed interest in exploring a similar concept, particularly given the expansion of franchise-based T20 cricket across the world. The ICC had reportedly considered organising quadrangular T20 tournaments during bilateral international windows, potentially creating another revenue-generating property for the governing body.

However, the proposal encountered resistance from the cricket boards of India, Australia and England. The three influential boards reportedly expressed concerns about accommodating another major competition within an already congested international schedule.

The upcoming Future Tours Programme (FTP) cycle, covering 2027 to 2031, is already packed with bilateral commitments and existing ICC tournaments, leaving limited room for an additional global event.