Indian Cricket League (Florida) - ICL (India) News
Indian-Cricket-League.com (A Cricket News Site) The first news and information website on Indian Cricket League
The ICL (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.
Zee Telefilms announced on April 3rd 2007 the plans to create a new ambitious cricket league in India, the Indian Cricket League (ICL). With a prize money of $ 1 million for the winner it would initially be comprised of six teams to be expanded to 16 in three years. All the major cricket boards including BCCI India and PCB Pakistan have threatened players with a lifetime ban if they align with the ICL.
Retired Australian Test batsman Damien Martyn is to lead the newly-formed Ahmedabad Rockets team in the Indian Cricket League's second season that kicks off on October 10.
The Twenty20 event would see nine city-based teams, including one from Lahore in Pakistan and the other from Dhaka in Bangladesh, vie for top honours. The 41 matches would be played in Hyderabad, Panchkula, Gurgaon and Ahmedabad, an ICL media release said.
The other eight teams in fray would be led by Chris Cairns (Chandigarh Lions), Stuart Law (Chennai Superstars), Marvan Atapattu (Delhi Giants), Habuibul Bashar (Dhaka Warriors), Chris Harris (Hyderabad Heroes), Inzamam-ul-Haq (Lahore Badshahs), Nathan Astle (Mumbai Champs) and Craig McMillan (Royal Bengal Tigers).
New players who have been inducted this season are Hafiz Khaleel, Shahid Yousaf, Tahir Mahmood Mughal (all Lahore Badshahs), Ryan Campbell and Kunal Lal (both Ahmedabad Rockets).
Mornantau (Nantie) Hayward (from Royal Bengal Tigers) has been transferred to Chennai Superstars and Hasan Raza and Taufeeq Umer (both from Lahore Badshahs) have been transferred to Mumbai Champs, the release said.
These additions and transfers were done with the primary objective of optimum utilisation of its (ICLs) talent pool and strengthening the teams in all departments of the game, said ICL's executive board chairman Kapil Dev.
Kapil lashes out at BCCI for victimising ICL players
Sept 16, 2008
Former captain Kapil Dev today lashed out at India Cricket Board for victimising cricketers who joined Indian Cricket League by treating them as "untouchables".
"I don't understand why the Cricket Board is treating cricketers who joined our ranks as untouchables. We were providing the youngsters an option to cricket and to life. They (the board) are victimiing the cricketers for no fault of theirs (by banning them)," an angry Kapil told reporters here at the launch of second season of ICL.
"We are for the betterment of Indian cricket and I always think I am a part of the Cricket Board but why are they trying to monopolise the game. They should have beeen big hearted.
"Moreover, I would never have thought of fighting a case against my own players," he said while referring to court cases between ICL players and their boards.
Without naming anybody, Kapil blamed a "particular person" for being victimising ICL players.
"Today, if there is such a victimisation of ICL players it is because of one particular man. I don't need to name him here everybody knows him," he said.
"Despite the obstacles to make us small we have grown from strength to strength. We will keep on giving a better platform for youngsters to cricket," added the World Cup winning captain after announcing a new team, Dhaka warriors.
He praised the 13 Bangladeshi players, which included former captain Habibul Bashar, for joining the ICL.
"We would encourage them to play for their country. In the free time when they are not playing for their country they can play for ICL. What is wrong in this. If they are banned by their board for joining ICL that is not their (players') fault," said the former captain.
Bangladesh cricketers eye rebel Indian league
Sep 14, 2008
Bangladesh's struggling cricket team faced a major threat to its future on Sunday after the head of the sport's governing body said several players would join a rebel Indian Twenty20 league.
Bangladesh Cricket Board director Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu said the players had informed the board about they would take part in the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
The ICL, owned by an Indian media giant, is not sanctioned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and players joining the league have been banned by their respective cricket boards.
Lipu said the six cricketers included batsman Aftab Ahmed, wicket-keeper Dhiman Ghosh and bowlers Mohammad Rubel Hossain and Farhad Reza.
Ex-Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar and his former deputy Shariar Nafees Ahmed complete the rebel group.
"They may face ban from domestic and international cricket," Lipu said.
The country's Bengali daily Prothom Alo said as many as 14 players had lined up to join the new ICL season, which opens on October 10.
Former captain and chief selector Faruq Ahmed feared the development would damage the Bangladesh team and threaten its Test status, which was acquired only eight years ago.
"These are the top Bangladesh players. Their joining ICL will weaken the national team, which has already had very bad performance in the last six months," Ahmed said.
"I think this is the biggest crisis for Bangladesh cricket since it won Test status."
Ahmed said money played a big part in the decision as a player could make as much as in the rest of his career by playing in the ICL for only one month.
Bangladesh have had a poor record in Test cricket, winning just once and drawing four out of 53 matches so far.
The national team was routed 3-0 by Australia in a one-day international series this month.
New Zealand are due to tour the country next month for a two-Test and three-match one-day series.
Zee launches ambitious $232mn Indian Cricket League
April 02, 2007
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
April 02, 2007
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
The official web site of Subash Chandra's Essel Group's ICL is www.IndianCricketLeague.in
For news and information about the twenty20 League, write directly to:
Indian Cricket League, Essel Sports Pvt Ltd,
135 Continental Building, Dr. Annie Besant Road,
Worli, Mumbai 400018.
Email id: response@indiancricketleague.in
I really do not know exactly why the BCCI has shown scant interest in me. Erapalli Prasanna, talking to Rediff.
New Zealand Cricket cannot agree to release our contracted players to participate in the ICL. NZC Chief Executive Justin Vaughan.
If it is true that they have signed up, then losing Yousuf would be the biggest blow to Pakistan cricket. Shafqat Naghmi, PCB's chief operating officer.
This is the cream of the country. Kapil Dev, Chairman of ICL's executive board.
I thought of all the pros and cons... This gives me very good security. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, the young Bengal batsman who signed up.
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The official web site of Subash Chandra's Essel Group's ICL is 
I really do not know exactly why the BCCI has shown scant interest in me.
