Today, at Lord’s, cricket saw the future. At least that’s what Manoj Badale, Chairman of the Rajasthan Royals, would have you believe. For Badale appears to have succeeded in his extraordinarily ambitious plan to create a global Twenty20 cricket franchise under the banner of the Royals 2020, with Hampshire, the Cape Cobras, Trinidad and Tobago and possibly Victoria all united by the Royals name.

Badale is a Cambridge-educated, British-Asian media mogul who acquired the Jaipur franchise to create the Rajasthan Royals back in 2008, delivering them Shane Warne and IPL success in their inaugural season. He has achieved in principle what has not happened in any other sport – a global network of teams. Badale may have the too-smooth looks and cut-glass voice of a James Bond villain but his CV suggests a man who matches word with deed.

Simply, the four signed clubs will take on the Royals name when competing in their domestic tournaments, perform in standardised kits and potentially share talent between each other. Cricket-wise Badale’s aim is to give fans of the franchise a team to support all year round, with plans for expansion to existing Twenty20 markets in New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The promise is huge – not least because Cape Cobras, Victoria and Hampshire bring with them Newlands, the MCG and The Rose Bowl.

Yet there were plenty of furrowed brows, with the potential problems almost as numerous as the gaps in the presentation. To be fair, attempting to explain something of the complexity of what Badale is trying to implement in a half-hour briefing was always going to feed scepticism.

The brand leans heavily on Warne – he at present coaches and captains the Rajasthan Royals – and the choice of partners has his poker chips all over it, with Hampshire (owned by his great friend Rod Bransgrove) already signed up and his native Victoria in advanced negotiations. Warne spoke with his customary glint about the attractions for players involved with the franchise – the style of play, the aggressive tactics and encouragement for youth all presented as totems of the Royals regime. As long as his charisma is on board, anything appears possible. The key for Badale will be retaining his interest in the long term, with Warne’s outside portfolio increasing all the time.

There may also be difficulties in trying to balance equal attention and resources between all the franchise member clubs, especially if several of them were to be competing against each other in the Champions League Twenty20. Last year, Cape Cobras, Victoria and Trinidad and Tobago all featured in the tournament.

Yet for all the talk of opportunities for players and fans, this is primarily about the dollar. A globalised brand gives Badale the opportunity to push hard on sponsorship and potentially be the first to exploit cricket’s tentative forays into the global-domestic scene.

Sam Collins is editor of thewisdencricketer.com