A League of Their Own , Partab Ramchand in NEWINDPRESS

The irony could not be missed by even a casual follower of the game. Kapil Dev, currently chairman of the BCCI-run Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy, now heads the Executive Board of the breakaway Indian Cricket League. Much as the men behind the project might disapprove of the word ‘breakaway’, there is more to it than meets the eye. The ICL is the brainchild of Indian TV mogul Subhash Chandra of the Essel Group that owns the Zee brand. Three years ago, Chandra made a bid for the BCCI’s TV rights and lost out despite making the highest offer. So the analogy with Kerry Packer is not out of place, for the late Australian TV tycoon was also a jilted suitor 30 years ago before he formed World Series Cricket and took on the Australian Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council in a head-on collision that ultimately saw the game undergo a metamorphosis.

The ICL is also seen as a direct confrontation with the BCCI, though Chandra himself and members of the newly-formed Executive Board have gone to great lengths to term the project as “complementary’’ to the functioning of the BCCI. But here, again, the analogy with Packer is not out of place. For if Packer took on the ICC, an organisation run by myopic and blinkered old men in suits who guarded their fiefdoms jealously, Chandra is also up against an Indian Cricket Board that guards its turf zealously and does not take kindly to any kind of rivalry even if it is termed complementary.

The BCCI’s initial reaction to Chandra’s announcement was along expected lines. Board secretary Niranjan Shah said that it would take “an appropriate decision” on the proposal received from Zee Telefilms to start a parallel cricket league. The outspoken BCCI vice president Lalith Modi, however, made it clear that the ICL was not going to be feasible without the Board’s cooperation. “If Chandra is planning a local tournament,” said Modi, “he can’t use our sports facilities without our permission. If he is roping in international players, that requires the sanction of the BCCI and the ICC. The Board does not normally give private parties permission to do anything like this.” Three decades ago, Packer faced a similar problem with overzealous officials. With the traditional Test grounds out of bounds for the WSC matches, he had to conduct the games at other venues, including football grounds. Dropped-in pitches, night cricket, white balls, black sight screens and coloured clothing were suddenly seen on a cricket field, and detractors dismissed it all as “the pyjama game.” We are all wiser now and thanks are due to Packer’s vision, even if the whole thing cropped up because of a personal grudge.

To Subhash Chandra too a vote of thanks would not be out of place but perhaps that will have to wait till his ambitious venture really takes wings. The ICL has been planned as a month-long Twenty20 cricket event which will feature six cities in an attempt to spruce up domestic cricket. The tournament will start with six city teams and go up to 16 by the third year. The prize money for the event is a whopping $1 million (about Rs 45 lakhs). The Essel Group is expected to pump Rs 100 crore into the ambitious project. Every team will consist of two Indian stars, four overseas players and eight juniors in keeping with the credo “give opportunities to youngsters.”

Chandra is of the view that the BCCI’s selection process has failed to create “a reserve pipeline of players” and the idea behind the league is to create an “ideal pool with killing instinct.” The BCCI, he has said, would be free to draw from the talent pool. “We feel that despite cricket being a passion and a religion in this country, despite it having great commercial players, BCCI has only six A-grade players signed up. Therefore, there is need for some united effort to create a talent pool and this will be done by a three pronged strategy — discovery, diligence and display.”

Attempting a predictably conciliatory approach, Chandra insists he isn’t trying to emulate Packer. “That was different. Kerry Packer had staged a coup by getting the big players on his side,” says Chandra. “However, in the case of the Zee Group, we would continue to bid for BCCI telecast rights. The initiative that we would launch is about a talent hunt and a talent-building process. The initiative to launch the ICL should be seen as a challenge taken up by the Essel/Zee Group in BCCI’s quest to improve Indian cricket.” Interestingly, Lalith Modi himself had floated the idea of a similar league about a decade ago, an idea that couldn’t progress beyond BCCI’s red tape. One of those involved in that project was former Indian opening batsman Arun Lal, who said, “The reason why Australia keep winning is because they have a strong domestic structure that keeps churning out world-class players.” Arun Lal was of the view that the BCCI should put 90 per cent of its energies into this sphere of activity. “This was what I felt eight years ago and this is what I still feel is the way forward.”



The crux of the matter is that the ICL cannot get off the ground unless it has the BCCI’s permission to host an event of this nature. Even after the announcement of the four member Executive Board — the others are former England captain Tony Greig, former Australian batsman Dean Jones and former Indian wicket keeper Kiran More — the BCCI preferred to adopt a wait and watch policy. “We don’t yet know the details of what has been planned. So far the announcements have mentioned only the formation of six teams, but we are not sure whether it’s detrimental to Indian cricket and the BCCI,” said Board sources when asked whether there were any conflict of interests. Till a clearer picture emerged as to the real intentions of Chandra’s ICL, the BCCI — not unexpectedly, given its feudal structure — would adopt an ultra-cautious approach. And Indians being conventional by nature, it is unlikely that any contracted player or a budding young cricketer aiming to play for the country will be willing to jeopardise his career even for a bulging pay packet.

Chandra, no doubt, is aware of what he is up against, and that is why he has given momentum to the ICL by forming an executive board comprising big names. And if Packer’s WSC was ultimately a success it was because of the presence of the superstars. Chandra needs to think big. Recently there was talk of players of the superstar status of Shane Warne, Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath being signed up. These reports were denied by Zee Sports Business Head Himanshu Modi, but then these are the kind of names that will be the big attraction. Even though the three have recently retired from international cricket, they still have a frenzied following in this cricket crazy nation. That would give the project both star status and credibility. Once a proper organisation is put in place, it would show that Chandra means business and the rest — including permission from the BCCI — would fall in place.

In the meantime, Kapil is looking ahead with undisguised enthusiasm. “It’s a great pleasure to lead the Executive Board of the ICL, the first professional league. I will try and utilise my experience of motivating and guiding players, both as captain and coach, to take the young talent to the pinnacle of success,” he said. On his part too he has taken care to clarify that this wasn’t a breakaway league. “We want to improve our domestic cricket as much as we can. We are not looking to create a rival team but helping the Indian board to find more talent and feeding the national team.” Greig, who also welcomed the initiative, said that the ICL would be a platform for all corners of India to play with and against some of the stars of international cricket. “They can learn from them and gain confidence to excel. I think Indian cricket is ready for a professional cricket league and I’m confident the ICL can make a difference.”

Indeed, it has always been a delicious thought why foreign stars do not take part in Indian domestic competitions. When Indian cricketers have played in the English county championships, in Australia and South Africa, why can’t foreigners come and play in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and the one-day competitions? To that extent too the ICL holds promise. After all who would not want to pay to see Kevin Pietersen play for Mumbai or Adam Gilchrist turn out for Karnataka?

Overall, the ICL presents an opportunity for Chandra. But it could also be an opportunity for the BCCI if it plays its cards right and does not continue to stay in its ivory tower. It may even be for the good of Indian cricket if only by giving the system a shake-up. As Jayaditya Gupta wrote on the Cricinfo website: “What Chandra is proposing is effectively what the BCCI should have been doing anyway — in terms of building both infrastructure and manpower. If the BCCI feels threatened, it may be stirred into action — which may not be a bad thing. If on the other hand Chandra has held out his hand in genuine partnership and the BCCI accepts, Indian cricket can only get better.’’

The ICL in a nutshell

6 teams or clubs to play in the 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

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

Prize money for the winner: $1 million

League teams to compete with teams internationally

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