India vs Sri Lanka in India, Nov-Dec 2009

Sri Lanka in India Three Test, five ODI and Two T20 match series

Sri Lanka will be looking for the elusive test match and series win when they tour India for a Three Test, five ODI and Two T20 match series from November to December 2009. The team arrive in India on November 8th for the 55-day tour.

Indian Cricket League - ICL News June 2007

The Indian Cricket League (India) is a private cricket league that runs parallel to the existing cricket league managed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The format of ICL is Twenty20.
Indian Cricket League is a service mark of PayAutoMata, Florida.This website, http://www.indian-cricket-league.com/, (Created on: 03-Apr-2007) is in no way affiliated with or is the property of Zee's ICL (India) or Indian Cricket League (Florida). This site is part of the Cricket Circle information and news network.

Subscribe to Indian Cricket League News (ICL) RSS / XML Feed

Breaking News : Indian Cricket League formation

Cairns, Astle approached for Indian Cricket League

New Zealand's retired Test stars Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle have been approached for playing in the Indian Cricket League, according to media reports.
'The Dominion Post' quoted New Zealand Players' Association chief Heath Mills as saying that the players have been contacted by the organisers of the league, scheduled for October this year after the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. "I have been aware of the concept for some time through my involvement on the FICA (international players' association) board," Mills said.
Cairns, who retired from Test cricket in 2004, bid adieu to one day cricket in 2006. Astle, on the hand, gave up international cricket six months before the recent World Cup, citing lack of motivation. The NZPA chief, meanwhile, rubbished speculation that current players like Shane Bond were being lured for the tournament.
"Some players here have been contacted but the event concerned is not focused on current players - at this stage they are more interested in players who are recently retired," he said. But he admitted that even the contracted players could be attracted by the prospects of playing in the league because of the huge money on offer. "...if the event has got legs it wouldn't surprise me if some current players were interested in participating in it," he said.
The ICL will comprise six teams coached by former cricketers and will be played on a Twenty20 format. The NZPA has already given a thumbs up to the proposed tournament but has admitted that ICC approval was a must before getting current players on board.
"This is not over the line yet but from the players' point of view it would be great, because I see it as not dissimilar to them playing for other third parties like counties and league teams in England. "The key thing is whether it is sanctioned by the ICC and New Zealand Cricket and I know that is the intention of the organisers but it hasn't got that yet," Mills said.

Indian Cricket League ropes in Patil as coach

The proposed India Cricket League has roped in former Test batsman and national coach Sandeep Patil into its fold but the appointment may cost the ex-player the monthly pension he's entitled to receive from the BCCI.
"Yes, Sandeep Patil has joined the ICL and will be coaching one of the six teams," the League's Creative Head Ajay Kapoor told PTI.
The 50-year-old, who played in 29 Tests and 45 ODIs for India in the 1980s, took the plunge to join the rebel league yesterday, according to sources close to him. But the Mumbai stalwart, who has represented Madhya Pradesh in Ranji Trophy and then guided Kenya to the semi finals of the 2003 World Cup as coach, may have kissed goodbye to the monthly pension he's receiving from the BCCI along with two other former India and ICL colleagues Kapil Dev and Kiran More.
"The board has decided to stop all the entitlements to any current or former player, official or umpire who is connected to the ICL. A letter to this effect will soon reach all those who are receiving such remunerations from the board", according to BCCI sources.
Former players and umpires are receiving Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 from the board every month as pension depending on the number of matches they have played for India or represented their state association in domestic cricket. Kapil, the current chairman of the National Cricket Academy, is heading the ICL's Executive Board while former stumper and selection panel chief More is on the same Board even while holding the post of Baroda Cricket Association secretary.
The BCCI Working Committee had severely criticised both these former cricketers for associating themselves with the rebel body at its meeting in Delhi earlier this month but stopped short of giving show-cause notices to them. "Though we did not decide to showcause them, Kapil would soon be conveyed the message, while the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) will take up the matter with More," one member had said after the meeting on June 12.
Essel chief Subhas Chandra launched the ICL in April promising a one million dollar prize money and names like Brian Lara, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, all recently retired from international cricket, are being linked to the event. The ICL is proposing to commence with six teams playing in the Twenty20 format later this year.

Indian Cricket League - ICL

Zee launches ambitious $232mn Indian Cricket League

In a move effectively challenging the Indian cricket board's national tournaments, Zee Group Tuesday announced the launch of an ambitious Indian Cricket League (ICL) with a corpus fund of Rs 1 billion ($232.26 million) and a promise to field many international players.

Stung by the announcement and in order to stop speculation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) quickly issued a statement that its president Sharad Pawar has received a letter, but said no more.
The announcement came as a surprise also because Zee owns the BCCI rights for overseas international cricket. Zee won the five-year rights for $219.15 million.

"A professional league is the need of the hour as is the killer instinct in the players. We will try to do it as early as possible -- maybe in July," said Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra at a press conference here.
Chandra sounded extremely confident of getting the BCCI approval for ICL, whose winner would receive $1 million - the highest prize money ever announced for a cricket tournament in the country.
"It is not in conflict with the BCCI, but is complimentary to it. We have sent a proposal to the BCCI and I don't think they will reject it. I even don't want to assume that BCCI will reject it," he said.

BCCI, which has already called a working committee meeting in Mumbai Saturday to discuss the World Cup debacle, will perhaps have to add another item to its agenda. The board statement said: "BCCI president Sharad Pawar has received a letter from Mr. Subhash Chandra, Zee Television, seeking permission to start the Indian Cricket League. An appropriate decision in this matter will be taken by the board."
The ambitious league, if allowed by the BCCI, threatens to do what late Australian millionaire Kerry Packer did almost three decades ago when he hired the world's top players for his own World Series Cricket following his fight for television rights with the Australian board. Chandra said that the current Indian team players along with those from other countries would be seen in action in the league. He said the ICL would be an annual feature. All the matches will be telecast on Zee Sports. Zee also plans to set-up residential academies equipped with state-of-the-art facilities across the country.
Sports medicine would be introduced to ensure top fitness of players and a full-fledged record of their behavioural pattern, diet-plan and game statistics would be maintained. The group will also appoint talent scouts in all 35 states to hunt for young players to play in the league. "We have expertise in talent-search in the entertainment field, we will use that same expertise to unearth cricketing talent in India," Chandra said. He said each team would have a coach, physiotherapist, and psychologist. The league will have a professional media manager, and an ombudsman to resolve issues that may be raised by the public, or even by the players.

"A professional league is the need of the hour as is the killer instinct in the players. Budding talent must be groomed at the grass-roots level and given the experience to play on competitive pitches and not on placid tracks." Chandra, however, declined to disclose the names of the players likely to take part. "There are a few big names which we don't want to disclose now." He added that other companies are invited to launch their own clubs or teams and can take part in the league. "We would love participation from other companies as well. They are invited to launch their own teams and take part in the league very similar to what we have in the National Football League," he said.

The Indian Cricket League Format

The Indian Cricket League will consist of six teams or clubs in the first year and will be increased to 16 over the next three years. To start with, all the matches will be Twenty20 affairs and will be played on home-and-away basis. Gradually, the format of the matches will be changed to 50-over a side. The champion team will get the winner's purse of $1 million. Each team in the league will have two Indian international players registered with the BCCI, four foreign players and the rest young and budding players. The players, who will take part in the ICL, will be contracted with the company and will get a fixed amount every month.

The finer points of ICL:

6 teams or clubs to play in opening year

Talks on with BCCI for gaining access to stadiums

Executive Board of the league under installation

Pool of referees and umpires to be created

Rules committee to form regulations for ICL

Ombudsman to look into grievances of players

League to begin with Twenty20 format and move to ODI format

League to be a joint venture between Essel Group and ILFS Group

Each of the 6 teams to be coached by an ex-India player

Each team would comprise four foreign, two Indian and eight budding players

Each team to have a mentor, media manager, psychologist, physio

Prize money for the winner- USD 1 million

League teams to compete with teams internationally

Number of teams to be increased from 6 to 16 in three years

Cricket News Archives

• India Cricket League News : October 2008
• India Cricket League News : September 2008
• India Cricket League News : November 2007
• India Cricket League News : October 2007
• India Cricket League News : September 2007
• India Cricket League News : August 2007
• India Cricket League News : July 2007
• India Cricket League News : June 2007
• India Cricket League News : May 2007
• India Cricket League News : April 2007