CRICKET officials across the globe will turn their attention to India this weekend when the rebel Twenty20 domestic league starts.
The momentum generated by cricket's newest format will continue with unprecedented prizemoney of more than $4 million, Bollywood hype and entertainment and enhanced television coverage.
The Indian Cricket League will feature six teams and includes former Australian all-rounders Ian Harvey and Stuart Law, who will play for the Chennai Superstars, and West Indian legend Brian Lara, who will represent the Mumbai Champs.
Officials will be keenly interested in the success of the tournament as it will provide an indication of how the official International Cricket Council-sanctioned Indian Premier League will go when it is held in April.
The ICL set the pace in the development of a domestic Indian Twenty20 league, prompting a stunned Board of Cricket Control in India to hastily establish the IPL.
As the IPL is officially sanctioned and is linked with the likes of Cricket Australia, it has been able to sign up current superstars such as Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist.
The ICL has not been able to lure any current top-class players and has had to rely on former international stars.
It's understood contracts begin from $120,000.
A major deterrent has been that any player who joins the ICL has been banned from representing their country.
Former Australian batsman Dean Jones played a key role in the ICL signings, while Indian legend Kapil Dev has been instrumental in the competition's overall development.
"ICL is our baby and we are hoping everything goes off well," Kapil said yesterday.
"It's not the black sheep of cricket.
"Was Kerry Packer the black sheep of cricket? That was a good thing that happened and this is also a good thing."
The tournament will feature some new rules, including no runs from overthrows if a fielder throws down the stumps.
Shane Warne says Twenty20 will hit cricket's biggest market - India - in a "big way" in the next year but says the rebel series cannot be compared to Kerry Packer's World Series revolution.
Warne, who eventually chose to play for the IPL, has urged the International Cricket Council not to ban players who join the ICL.
"Both leagues give wonderful opportunities to professional cricketers and I think it is right that players should have the freedom to play in whichever of them they wish to," Warne said
No comments:
Post a Comment