The Indian Cricket League Saga

The surfacing of Indian Cricket League (ICL) promoted by Essel Group is a development that could have a long term impact on Indian Cricket. However, will this be a positive development or will it carve up the already dispirited Indian cricket into two rival factions? This will be the question that will do the rounds in the minds of every cricket fan in India in the coming days.

“Out and out commercial venture," says BCCI President, Sharad Pawar in his latest stand on ICL. Since the time Essel group has taken the step of fledging ICL, there has been a stir in Indian cricket with the game’s governing body Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a tuff stand.

It all started with the Subhash Chandra, Chairman of ZEE Telefilms announcing the name of former cricketer Kapil Dev as the Chairman of the newly formed league with the vision of grooming young talents. This has certainly left the heavy weights of BCCI in unrest. As a result, the Indian board threatened to ban the league as well as withdrawing the player’s benefits such as pension.

Kapil is presently employed with BCCI as Chairman of National Cricket Academy.

"Players who take part in the ICL will never be eligible to play for the country again. It is up to the players to decide what they want to do," said Niranjan Shah, BCCI secetary. If you look at various such statements made by the BCCI officials’, one just gets a feeling that they are unnecessarily disturbed with the emergence of ICL.

On the other hand, there a few serious questions that are unanswered by the ICL. This being a Twenty20 format, how you expect a young cricketer to learn the nuance of cricket. There is no way one can learn the finer points of the game by playing the new version of cricket. All one can expect is some slam-bang power hitting and nothing else.

Already the toll of One day internationals has its effects on test cricket and there are not many classical test innings where the player is equipped enough to play the whole day to save a test match. There are not many batsmen who have a perfect technique but still have managed to survive in international cricket for many years. But then their flaw in technique comes wide open in test cricket. Hence, the new breakaway league cannot create bench strength as they claim.

Meanwhile, there are lots of former International players being approached by ICL and Brian Lara became the first international to sign to play for them. The huge money involved in the process has definitely tempted a few current crops of cricketers like Stephen Fleming to think of an early retirement. Sri Lanka’s Marvan Attapatu who is struggling to get back into the national team has now got his annual contracted terminated from his board to play in the ICL tournament. Next in line are all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Habibul Bashar, and JP Yadav, who most likely will be the first Indian to play for the league.

The list doesn’t stops here, there are like of Glen McGrath, Shane Warne and many other names are doing the rounds.

The ICL, as a significant step has now done something that even the cricket’s powerhouse BCCI is yet to do – launching an official website. All this has added spice to the spat of the two biggies, with a few questions have been raised over the BCCI’s administrative efficiency.

Joining the war of words was yet another prominent political personality, Lalu Yadav, the Union Railway minister and also the President of Bhiar Cricket Association coming forward to offer the ministry’s grounds for playing matches. This has certainly added spice to the whole issue.

Another interesting thing that one should wait and watch is, Is this the beginning of a World Series Cricket style breakaway league? Although media mogul Subhash Chandra said he will never do a Kerry Packer, there is every sign that his Indian Cricket League could well become one, if Chandra's ploy succeeds.

The birth of ICL has received mixed response so far from various former and present cricketers. As for as I am concerned, ICL’s intentions are very clear that this nothing but a money making venture.

ICL can never be a parallel body to BCCI. Therefore, it’s high time that the Indian board focus on developing the game in the country rather than loosing its sleep over ICL.