http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20070901501301400.htm
The game has just begun - Vijay Lokapally.
When Kapil Dev got the offer to join the executive board of the Indian Cricket League, a venture promoted by Subhash Chandra of the Essel Group, he gave it a serious thought before taking up the challenge.
Kapil accepted the job not only for the fabulous financial contract ICL offered him, but also for bringing together cricketers for what he termed as an alternative to the present cricket structure in the country. “There is no harm if the youngst ers make big money,” was how the former Indian all-rounder responded.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was not amused. It sacked Kapil as Chairman of the National Cricket Academy.
It was not that Kapil was not willing to perform his duties at the NCA; he was just not given a free hand. He dared the BCCI to sack him. The Board, according to Kapil, had always been suspicious of the players, and even now nothing had changed.
Subhash Chandra had an axe to grind. Sore over not being able to secure the television rights, he was determined to embarrass the BCCI. And he hit upon a breakaway cricket league as the best way of achieving his goal. He then joined hands with Kapil Dev, and ICL was born.
According to Kapil, one of the main reasons why he joined ICL was that he was disturbed seeing the state of some of his former colleagues who were struggling to lead a decent life.
Through ICL, he looked at the possibility of forming a pool of youngsters who would not have to worry about their future. No doubt money, according to Kapil, was an important aspect, but cricket too was a prime factor.
However, as far as the Board was concerned, Kapil was a villain. It claimed to have communicated with the former India captain, but the end result was an acrimonious parting of ways between the two.
There was talk of ICL luring some big names such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brian Lara etc. Only Lara has so far accepted the offer.
ICL may not have landed a big catch, but it has attracted some youngsters in India, most of them good enough to play for the country in the near future but fully convinced that the BCCI’s system did not encourage them. These youngsters have sacrificed their dream of playing for the country one day for a financially secure future.
The exodus from Hyderabad — seven players, including Ambati Rayudu crossed over to the ICL camp — is seen as a result of the players’ discontent at the way the state association runs the game. Former India players such as Erapalli Prasanna, Sandeep Patil and Madan Lal too seemed unhappy with the way cricket was run in the country and decided to join ICL. “It was frustrating,” Patil said.
The fanfare surrounding the breakaway league notwithstanding, ICL has a bumpy ride ahead. The initial enthusiasm and investment will not last long unless the returns are good.
So, ICL will have to think in terms of innovations, which certainly is not an easy task. No doubt the Twenty20 format is an ideal vehicle for ICL to launch its plans, but the novelty factor will depend on how the cricket lovers respond.
Though the BCCI had instructed its affiliates not to lend their grounds for the rebel matches, ICL is confident of going ahead with its plans. Getting grounds for the matches, according to Kapil, was not a big issue, with the West Bengal Government and the Railway Ministry coming forward to offer their grounds.
ICL is planning to have its first camp for the 48 players in Chennai, Kapil said. “The boys have to come together to prepare for the league.”
To start with, ICL will have six teams. This could go up to 16 teams in two years’ time, with a coach to provide tactical acumen. ICL also has elaborate plans to set up nurseries and academies aimed at spotting talent and grooming them.
“Not everyone gets to play for his state. There are many who would have been victimised by the selection policy of most of our state associations. At ICL, the selection will be based on performance only. I expect many youngsters to benefit from the guidance ICL coaches will provide,” said Madan Lal, the former India fast bowler who has agreed to a coaching contract with the breakaway league.
The matches will be played under floodlights. The aim is to target the TV audience. Each team is expected to have four international players, two Indian and eight promising youngsters.
ICL, set up with a corpus fund of Rs. 100 crore, will offer Rs. 4.5 crore as prize money. It will make use of the expertise of Tony Greig and Dean Jones in the administration of its league.
ICL will need a right mix of overseas stars and current national players. The focus is, no doubt, on entertainment with the backing of a dedicated television channel. The structure of the Twenty20 format encourages people to follow ICL purely as an entertainment.
ICL is an untapped medium, and it is for the Essel Group to package it as a great entertainment. It has the huge advantage of reaching the Indian households through a variety of TV channels.
Though established as a result of the friction between the Essel Group and the BCCI, ICL certainly promises entertainment. Imagine a Priyanka Chopra in a commentator’s role or a Shahrukh Khan giving pitch report. Passion will have to be created and much depends on how ICL markets its league, how it sells the concept to the public and the sponsors. Merchandising is the key here.
Some sort of irony this: Kapil wanting to serve the game and the Board crushing his plans. Kapil never played Twenty20 cricket, while the BCCI was initially opposed to this format. However, both are now using the Twenty20 format to get back at each other.
The birth of ICL has also forced the BCCI to plan its own international Twenty20 league.
