Ireland could have a franchise in the proposed English Premier League (EPL) if Giles Clarke's blueprint for the future of English cricket is accepted by the 18 counties.

Cricket Ireland are desperate to be part of the Twenty20 revolution that is bringing unprecedented riches into the game and chief executive Warren Deutrom admitted that the EPL, a revamped version of the Twenty20 Cup that could start in 2010, could be the most visible entry point.

Any expansion of the Indian Premier League could also open doors for Ireland, if a financial backer can be found.

At Lord's, ECB chief Clarke is trying to reduce the size of England's first-class county championship to free up more space for lucrative Twenty20 games. His EPL concept would include guest teams, a development that caused Deutrom to prick up his ears.

At present Ireland have no access to any 20-over competition except the World Twenty20, in which they hope to make a debut appearance next summer. But annual involvement in one of the new money-spinning leagues would transform the finances of the Irish game.

Asked by Sportsmail if Cricket Ireland was able to cash in on the Twenty20 movement, Deutrom said: 'I would love to think so and we have discussed with our board what could be the best entry point for us.

"Could we become a franchise of the Indian Premier League, and what benefits to Irish cricket could be taken from that, if a single individual was bankrolling it?

"Could we be one of the three guest teams the ECB is considering introducing to its domestic Twenty20?

"It's not a secret that we have been in contact with the ECB to see what opportunities might exist for Cricket Ireland, and at the moment there don't appear to be any. But the whole game is changing at a frightening pace."

It is early days in Clarke's bid to reform the county game, and the idea of an Irish franchise - or even a Celtic alliance with Scotland - might be seen as too weak a draw to bring in the crowds and compete.

But Cricket Ireland's new-look board is stacked with big players from the business world who may have the clout to persuade a major player to come on board.

Texan billionaire Allen Stanford has put up $100million for West Indies and England to fight over in the next five years, and Indian millionaires have raced to invest in the successful IPL, which brought together the cream of world cricket for six weeks in spring.

The promise of major foreign signings would give an Irish bid for a franchise in any pro league far more credibility.

"In India they are making a lot of money out of Twenty20 cricket and if we could find a billionaire entrepreneur to bankroll the Dublin whatevers, it would be very interesting. I'm just not sure if a business model exists to make any capital on that.

"At the moment, the game is growing extremely quickly and trying to find an entry point is extremely difficult because so far, it is only happening at the absolute elite level of the game, by which I mean the top four or five nations.

"The West Indies are so lucky to have an admirer in their backyard whose motives, it seems so far, are primarily philanthropic. There are not many people in that position who are not looking for a return on their investment. Here the terms 'return on investment' and Republic of Ireland (ROI) go hand in hand.

"But would we like to bring Twenty20 cricket to Ireland? The answer is an emphatic yes. I would like to see an investigation, and indeed an implimentation, of a national tournament, because without that we are not maximising opportunities for players to come through."

William Porterfield's team will host the first World Twenty20 qualifier at Stormont in August when the top six nations outside the Test scene bid for two places at the event in England next summer. Qualification would boost Cricket Ireland coffers by at least €160,00 but Deutrom said: "The cash incentive is welcome but that isn't why we are in it.

"Following Ireland's success in the 50-over World Cup and the first-class game, winning two Intercontinental Cups, we have to keep eating at the top table of world cricket.

"We must continue to prove we are a top-10 team in one-day cricket, and one of the very best outside the Test world in the first-class game."