I think if this project is executed properly it will go a long way in instilling the killer instinct in Indian players which they are lacking right now. Zee has exhibited a true entrepreneurial spirit by seizing upon this huge window of opportunity in a timely manner. In many ways, it reminds me of infamous kerry packer’s world series cricket but of course the packer series was on a much larger scale.
Essel Group comes up with a new initiative
Business mogul announces break-away cricket league
Cricinfo staff
April 3, 2007
Subhash Chandra, who heads the Essel Group, owners of the Zee brand, has announced a breakaway cricket series called the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The Essel Group will invest Rs 100 crore (US$ 23 million approx) in the project, which will run parallel to the leagues and tournaments of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The ICL will have six teams with two Indian internationals, four overseas players and eight juniors in each side, though Chandra didn’t name those players, if any, who’d already signed up. At the end of the third year, there will be 16 teams in the ICL. Chandra, while announcing this initiative in Delhi, said this initiative was not in conflict with the BCCI but would be complementary to them.
Stating that the Indian board’s selection process has failed to create “a reserve pipeline of players”, Chandra added that the idea behind the league is to create an “ideal pool with killing instinct”. The BCCI, he said, would be free to draw from the talent pool.
“We feel that despite cricket being a passion, a religion in this country and despite it having great commercial players, BCCI has only six A-grade players signed up,” he said. “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.”
To achieve its objectives, Zee plans to set up cricket academies equipped with state-of-the-art facilities across the country. Sports medicine would be introduced to ensure players’ fitness and a full-fledged record maintained of their behaviour pattern, diet-plan and game statistics. The group will also appoint talent scouts in all 35 states to hunt for young players to play in the ICL.
The finer points of ICL:
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
League to be a joint venture between Essel Group and ILFS Group
Each team to have a mentor, media manager, psychologist, physio
Prize money for the winner- US$ 1 million
League teams to compete with teams internationally
Number of teams to be increased from 6 to 16 in three years
I have said this many times in the past....that India does not need International Cricket to sustain the passion for Cricket... much like Basketball/Baseball/Football in the US. All that is needed is to glamorize, repackage and aggressively promote domestic Indian Cricket....and it will not take long when Indians will start identifying themselves with their regional teams and support them with the same passion as they support the national team. Already, you see so much "regional passions" aroused when a player from a certain region is selected (or not selected) in the national team .(eg Ganguly, Pathan).
The single most important factor in achieving this is quality TV coverage. That is where Zee comes in. Subhash Chandra (being a TV Moghul) can work wonders here.
Its a pity though that BCCI (although sitting on a pot of money) has been unable to seize this opportunity. But now I am afraid, Sharad Pawar (BCCI President) will use all his political might to subvert the independent initiatives of Zee.
I think it is a brilliant idea. Same thing needs to be tried in Pakistan. If anything it is great competition and who knows players from the new circuit might end up playing international cricket through the national board as well.
It will be a great success, Day and night ODIs or Twenty20 for that matter on every Saturday night, live on your screen with diciplined, determined and professional young players. No super star tag, just the hunger to prove themselves.
Imran emphatically stressed that there shouldn't be more than 6 teams. But most of the crciket is played in Punjab and Sindh. How this division will be made? But I guess this is the time to give a chance to something that has been screamed about for a long, long time.
Will Not Work as Indian players, media, people who are organizing it are/will be too much concerned with $$, so at the end of the day this will do nothing for benifit of cricket in India. Some people will make alot of money though
I think it is a brilliant idea. Same thing needs to be tried in Pakistan. If anything it is great competition and who knows players from the new circuit might end up playing international cricket through the national board as well.
Well PCB and BCCI aren't exactly "national" boards. ICL has as much legitimacy as BCCI as far as selecting an Indian team is concerned. The players are employed/contracted by the boards, not the government. The teams that PCB or BCCI select represent PCB or BCCI, not Pakistan or India.
I have doubts about the feasibility of this initiative. First, most of the stadiums and players are under BCCI and ICC control. Money was never a problem with BCCI and they are paying their cricketers handsomely. Second, there is no culture for Saturday night club matches in India. Unless he have some great players, indian public may just not turn in for such matches.
I think, what best would be for the BCCI to organize such matches and then bring in big corporates or individuals to make their own cricket team and allow hiring of their contracted players to play in these matches. Just imagine Pepsi, Coca cola or Wills or King fisher making a cricket team. They have the money and they have their selfish interest to put more money to make it a success.
Could this be the start of a breakaway group like the packer era. At the time the boards were up in arms but in the long run the benefits have been tremendous.
Such a breakaway league isn't even required. In my opinion, if Pakistan can create a domestic league and system that is up to par with that of the English County Cricket, we will be in good shape. Pakistan is a cricket hungry country so right away you know that the interest, if marketed competently, will be higher than that of the ECC.