Indian Cricket League(ICL)

[icyman]

Good thinking by the BCCI.
ZEE is just trying to make inroads.I really do not see talent coming up with this if they are going to play Twenty-20.

 

[Hooper]

Just let them play this stupid league make their money and then move on.

 

[manee]

Ban or no Ban?

Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, has said that the board will not ban players who join the Indian Cricket League (ICL). This announcement signals a volte-face by the board just days after its secretary Niranjan Shah said that players signing up with the league would be banned for life.

"There is no confrontation between the BCCI and ICL, it is a media creation," Pawar said. "We did not issue any statement on banning anybody for life if he joins another organisation."

Shah, meanwhile, expressed surprise at the statement. "Are you sure he said that? I don't know what to say now," he told the Indian Express in Mumbai. A formal announcement regarding the board's stand on the ICL is expected later today in New Delhi, where BCCI officials meet to discuss the issue.

Source: http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/305920.html

This could mean that the two Indian stars that were supposed to be in each of the six teams would be able to play. However, the four other stars from other countries may be tougher to scout. However, on Cricinfo Talk, Tony Greig seems to point out that players and stadiums will not be an issue as long as the bans will not be enforced, which it seems that they won't. Kapil Dev has also said (no source this time ) that there are 60 international stars that have shown interest and that players from other countries will not be an issue.

Interesting...Warne has said he would not join an unsanctioned contest, does the small sign of respect from Pawar mean it is sanctioned?

 

[andrew_nixon]

I'm not sure any ban could be enforced anyway. I'm not sure about the laws in India, but it could amount to an illegal restraint of trade, as happened when the then TCCB in England banned the Packer players from playing county cricket back in the 70s.

 

[smssia0112]

Well it's an interesting one, a ban would be huge. So the question is; is it a recant (seems suspicious) or did they truly never say that? I highly doubt it's the latter, so either it's a turnaround or a conflict between board personnel.

 

[sohum]

Well Sharad Pawar directly contradicting Niranjan Shah, there! Wonder what happened. Will be interesting to see how this latest twist turns out.

 

[SaiSrini]

I feel the BCCI is treading the dangerous path here.

Suppose a player from the current team decides to play for the ICL, what will they do? Will they ban him? Can he then approach the court asking for a valid explanation?

How can a private organisation distract players from playing for the country. The government has to act in here. Accept it or not, the team that the BCCI sends for the international tournaments represent the whole country "INDIA" and they are the Indian team. If they are the Indian team, then they are accountable to the whole nation. In the same breadth, a private organisation like the BCCI cannot ban players from playing for India just because they play for a rival organisation. This is almost like a criminal thing where a group of people are trying to rule over the whole nation.

 

[sohum]

The BCCI hold a monopoly over cricket in India, and although I do not have any sources, I'm guessing they hold it legally as well. The influx of politicians into the BCCI and regional cricket associations will not help either, as they have the power to twist the rules around to suit them.

 

[SaiSrini]

Well Sharad Pawar directly contradicting Niranjan Shah, there! Wonder what happened. Will be interesting to see how this latest twist turns out.

Lalit Modi has announced that people aligning themselves with unofficial associations will not get any benefits from the BCCI and will not be associated with any of BCCI's activities (including cricket of any right).

So basically, the ICL has only one option left - make a huge huge splash with their inaugral 20-20 tournament attracting millions and creating waves in the media. May be the BCCI could soften their stand if this happens.

 

[harishankar]

Lalit Modi has announced that people aligning themselves with unofficial associations will not get any benefits from the BCCI and will not be associated with any of BCCI's activities (including cricket of any right).

So basically, the ICL has only one option left - make a huge huge splash with their inaugral 20-20 tournament attracting millions and creating waves in the media. May be the BCCI could soften their stand if this happens.

I think Sharad Pawar has been approached by one of the Congress ministers (I read this in the newspapers) who asked him to go soft on the ICL... that may be the reason for his change of stance.

Who knows, maybe the ICL is greasing palms at the top...

 

[harishankar]

Political support for the ICL is growing, with India's Railway Minister Laloo Prasad now offering Railways venues for the ICL tournaments.

The BCCI will be backed into a corner with this, particularly because Sharad Pawar is an active politician and one who needs to be in the good books of the central leadership...

One way or the other, it looks like the ICL is here to stay. How many foriegn players they attract will be the question though.

 

[Pink Unicorn]

This is just India trying to be Kerry Packer and it is a stupid idea in my opinion, if Cricket turns into soccer where players care more about money and clubs than they do about representing their country I will stop watching the game and hope the creators of this feel bad about ruining the game.

At least Kerry Packer brought cricket to the forefront of TV, if it wasn't for him I doubt that Indian Television would make that kind of money in the first place.

Please, spare us the insecurity and patriotism. Packer did absolutely nothing for Indian cricket. The main impetus for Indian cricket was the 1983 World Cup win, and even that wasn't as great a boost as the liberalisation on the economy in the early 90s. Packer was no better than Chandra, he was in it for the money too after his channel was snubbed by the ACB. The only difference is Packer went against the ACB and managed to rope in many palyers because they were being paid peanuts, while Chandra would like us to believe he's working along with the BCCI, and will find it tougher to rope in players because they're either held at gunpoint by their boards or are already well off financially.

I'm not sure any ban could be enforced anyway. I'm not sure about the laws in India, but it could amount to an illegal restraint of trade, as happened when the then TCCB in England banned the Packer players from playing county cricket back in the 70s.

Of course, it would be an illegal trade practice. But why would that be any asssurance to the players ? Which player would jeopardise a national contract and take on the headache of a legal case against their board in case they are banned from national and first class duty ? Even if they win their case against their board, there's nothing stopping their board from not selecting them on the spurious grounds of them not being good enough to play at that level. And there's no legal recourse for that. Besides there's the small matter of unreliability. Who's to say the ICL won't fold up after just a couple of seasons ? Where will that leave the players who gave up a FC career to participate in the ICL ? The only players I see joining the ICL are either retired players or players on the verge of retirement or FC cricketers like Abhijit Kale or Sarath who have next to no chance of making the national team anyway (Kale because of his infamy, and Sarath because the BCCI is far too concerned with votebank politics to even give Tamil Nadu players an extended run. There seems to be an unwritten rule that Tamil Nadu shall not be allowed more than one player in the Indian team at any point in time)

I am not digging at India at all, rather at the morons who want to ruin cricket at this TV Station. What Packer did was unheard of, and at that time many felt it was bad for the game, but the difference is that his outcome was merely to get more people into One Day Cricket. If he had not introduced so many people to the shorter game by creating Day/Night games, then it is true that Indian Stations like Zee would not make the sort of money out of the One Day game that they are now. Heck, Australia plays India in ridiculous time-wasting One Day tournaments in obscure cricketing places every year, last year it was Kuala Lumpur, this year the USA or Northern Ireland, all because of the huge amounts of money that we are offered for it.

Incorrect. This is a myth Aussies need to get out of their heads. Packer had absolutely no contribution to the Indian preference for One day cricket. If he indeed was the reason Indian cricket makes money from ODI cricket, tell me why it took 15 years after his league for the phenomenon to actually take root ? India cared little for ODI cricket in the 80s and early 90s, the only spark of interest being the World Cup win in 83. It was with the advent of Dalmiya that ODI cricket around the world, and especially in India, changed forever.

 

[sohum]

Political support for the ICL is growing, with India's Railway Minister Laloo Prasad now offering Railways venues for the ICL tournaments.

There may be a conflict of interest, though, because as the president of a member of the BCCI, he may be expected to stand by their decision. At least now we well and truly know that politics has found a place in Indian cricket at more than the selection level.

 

[siddharth2002]

Pink Unicorn got few things bang on there. And I am just waiting for this series to start, its got something in it for upcoming players. And yes, playing for the country is one thing but if you are not gonna get selected than there must be alternatives. Afterall, most of the players imo take up cricket for money purposes, country comes later.

 

[manee]

More bad news!

Atapattu expresses interest in unofficial league

Sri Lanka board threatens to ban players joining ICL

August 10, 2007

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has threatened to ban any national player who signs up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Sri Lankan players participating in any "tournament or league other than Sri Lanka Cricket-approved events shall not be eligible for selection to represent Sri Lanka," an SLC statement said.

Source: http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/306221.html

It is not looking good at all for the ICL. Where will the players come from?