BCCI shouldn’t be in power brokers’ hands: Bombay HC

Observing that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should be in “the hands of sportspersons and sports lovers”, the Bombay High Court today, while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL), said the board “should not become a tool for musclemen, merchants or media barons and power-brokers”.

The PIL was filed against the election of Lalit Modi as a vice-president of the BCCI by a 71-year-old cricket-lover, Chandravardhan Parekh. Parekh contended that Modi couldn’t continue as vice-president as he was accused of “an offence involving moral turpitude”, having being found in possession of drugs, kidnapping and assault. (See box).

Asking the state to take note of the allegations made in the petition, the court said that the state cannot remain a “silent spectator to the power game” and would have to ultimately “use its power and authority to check the mismanagement and mal-administration” in the BCCI.

The court, however, did not wish to go into the aspect of whether or not Modi could be disqualified on that ground alone as there is a civil writ petition and arbitration proceedings filed in the Supreme Court and that the matter is sub-judice.

Declaring the PIL “maintainable”, the division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S C Dharmadhikari said the board, which is in charge of enormous funds and is conferred with “drastic powers” to control, monitor, manage and administer the game, should have officers who are “persons of calibre and character” so as to not “shake the faith and trust of the cricket loving public and common man”.

The court said: “The board should not become a tool for musclemen, merchants or media barons and power-brokers”.

The court directed the BCCI to take care that “those involved in criminal cases not just relating to illegal drugs but other serious charges have no place in the administration”.

The High Court said the purity and sanctity of an electoral process should be preserved at all costs and “ought not to be fought on party lines... Elections ought to be conducted in the same spirit in which the game of cricket is played.”

Kapil tells fashion designers to work for ICL

Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev was yesterday spotted at the 10th edition of the Wills India Fashion Week as it kicked off at a brand new venue of Pragati Maidan.

The former Indian captain was invited by Anjana Bhargav, one of the 40 designers showcasing their spring summer collection during the five-day event.

Kapil was so impressed by the works of the designers that he offered them to design outfits for the newly launched rebel Indian Cricket League, in which he is the Chairman of the Executive Board.

"I like everybody's work. In cricket comfort is very essential. If the clothes are good to look at and there is no restriction of movement that is fashion for me," he said.

"I would tell every designer to design for the the ICL. Every designer has talent. Every designer is different and has a niche segment," he added.

Kapil also drew similarity between designers and cricketers.

"There are so many designers and every designer has talent. Just like there are thouands of cricketers in the country who are waiting to play for the country, so also there are so many designers with so much of talent.

"This is like the World Cup Final," said Kapil, when asked to comment on the ongoing fashion extravaganza.

"This is the first day. Let me have a look around and let me study the fashion week. And perhaps by next year I would be able to make an informed judgement about the event.

PCB dropped charges after Shoaib threatened to join ICL

Disciplinary charges and penalties against Pakistan’s erratic pacer Shoaib Akhtar were recently dropped after the enigmatic speedster threatened to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL), sources revealed here.

Shoaib had left a training camp here last month without informing the manager even though the pacer claimed he had informed captain Shoaib Malik. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) subsequently fined him approximately $ 5,000 and docked points from his central contract. Shoaib appealed against the punishment and eventually a PCB appeal committee upheld his plea.

A well-placed source said that it was only after the pacer had threatened to join ICL that the committee decided to drop the charges against him.

The source also revealed that some other players are also been creating pressure on the Board, claiming they have multi-million dollar offers from the rebel Indian league.

Shoaib has already claimed that he had rejected an increased offer of close to $ 2 million to sign for three years in the league, while pacer Mohammad Asif put his offer figure at around $ 1.3 million with all-rounder Shahid Afridi also quoting similar figures. Most of these, however, are exaggerated, the source said.

“The figures being quoted by some Pakistani cricketers are inflated to a big extent. What I know is that approaches were made to some players to play in the league but no definite offers,” the source said. “The highest fee is being paid to former West Indian skipper, Brian Lara followed by Inzamam who is getting around $ 250,000 dollars for a season,” he said. He also disclosed that it was unrealistic to expect the ICL organisers and their main backer, Zee Telefilms, to pay such huge amounts to sign players.

Hall set to join ICL

South African Andrew Hall is set to join the Indian Cricket League after snapping ties with the national side following his omission from the Twenty 20 squad for the World Championship starting in the country next week.

It is understood that the 32-year-old all-rounder will join Nicky Boje and Lance Klusener, who were recently named to join the rebel outfit.

Hall has submitted a letter to Cricket South Africa on Friday about his international retirement.

South African Cricket Association CEO Tony Irish said he was completely surprised by the action of Hall.

"Usually, I'm aware of what a player's thinking and they consult me", said Irish.

"But this came out of the blue. I was told today by CSA about the resignation and immediately contacted Andrew. He made it clear to me that his decision was not up for debate. I told him that I was concerned about the way he had handled the matter and said I was disappointed with his attitude."

Hall has kept quiet on the issue, but media reports here indicate that he is "raving mad" about being left out of the Twenty20 squad.

Meanwhile, Jacques Kallis, who resigned from vice-captaincy after being dropped from the Twenty20 squad, is to hold another meeting with CSA CEO Gerald Majola on Tuesday about his availability for national duty.

Kallis met Majola in Johannesburg yesterday but details of the discussion have not been given.

A brief media statement said the two had "a good and positive" discussion and another meeting would be held on Tuesday.

"It was a good and positive meeting. Jacques has asked for a bit of time to think things over and we will have a follow-up meeting on Tuesday after which an appropriate statement will be issued", said Majola.

Kallis has already indicated that he remains fully committed to South African cricket and the Proteas.

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ICC won't bat for league, throws its weight behind BCCI

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday reiterated its support to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stating that it will not back the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) until it is approved by the country’s official cricket administration.

“BCCI is the only recognised body by the ICC to run official cricket in India. We have not got any application from the ICL (for recognition) yet, but we have already set a five-step process to decide on such issues,” said Malcolm Speed, CEO, ICC.

Mr Speed said the first four steps in the process of approving a tournament by a private body were: Whether it’s run for the development of the game or for charitable purpose; who were all playing in it and whether the players were all contracted to their parent boards; when and where they are to be played and whether anti-corruption measures were put in place to run the event.

It is only after all these steps “we will find out whether it has the approval of the member board,” he added. Describing the fifth stage he said, “In the last stage, we will be asking the applicants whether the member board of the country has approved it. If the answer is no, we would not give it our recognition.”

Mr Speed talked of an instance in the past of a tournament planned last year in the USA which was shot down by the ICC for not fulfilling the criteria he had mentioned. However, ICL seemed unaffected by ICC’s stand.

An ICL spokesperson told ET, “We have never approached the ICC to recognise us, and the question of the ICC’s acceptance or non-acceptance has no meaning as they themselves have no legal status. We have always maintained that we would be a parallel body, so how can a rival club look at giving us any kind of authenticity.”

He added, “The BCCI themselves have admitted that they are a private club, who have no legal entity. So, the question of they looking at us as a recognised body doesn’t arise at all.”

The breakaway league, promoted by Subhash Chandra, plans to hold Twenty20 tournaments between city teams for the next three years. Former Test captains Brian Lara of the West Indies and Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan are among the stars ICL has signed up for the series so far.

ICL last week filed a legal petition against the BCCI in the Delhi High court, saying the latter was a private body and could not have monopoly over running cricket in India.

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Karachi club offers to host ICL matches

A prestigious country club in Pakistan, which has been a favourite haunt for visiting cricketers including the Indians, has offered to host matches of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

An official offer has been made by the Arabian Country Club, located on the outskirts of Karachi with a private cricket ground and five-star accommodation, gymnasium and other facilities for its members.

“We just want to promote cricket wherever it is played. We see nothing wrong with the ICL,” said Arif Ali Abbasi, chief executive of the club. Abbasi, who has held several influential positions in Pakistan cricket, said the ICL people had been “overjoyed” at the offer but nothing was final as yet.

“If they want to come and play some matches, we will welcome them and then the mechanics of how the teams will gather in Karachi can be worked out properly,” said Abbasi.

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HC orders BCCI not to act against ICL players

The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stop intimidating cricketers who have joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The court also restrained public-sector undertakings from taking action against players who have aligned with the league.

While passing the interim order - hailed as 'victory for cricket' by some experts - Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked public-sector firms, including Air India and IOC, not to dismiss its ICL-affiliated employees.

Essel Sports, the promoter of ICL, had moved the court to restrain BCCI, headed by NCP leader Sharad Pawar, from intimidating its players.

ICL's lawyer Harish Salve said that two PSUs had served termination notices to their executives for joining the league.

"Why should players have swords hanging over their heads?" Justice Kaul said.

Justice Kaul issued notices to the Centre, which effectively owns the PSUs, and the BCCI asking them to submit replies within three weeks.

Justice Kaul also issued notice to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for not allowing the ICL to use Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium.

BCCI officials said the court decision was not directed at them. "The court has directed the public-sector undertakings not to terminate the services or take disciplinary action against employees seeking to affiliate themselves with ICL," a BCCI official said. "There were no orders passed or relief granted against the KSCA or the BCCI."

In a statement, BCCI reiterated its stand that "every individual has a right to choose whether he wishes to associate himself with the BCCI or any other organisation." The statement said that if a player chose to associate himself with any other organisation, "he shall not be entitled to derive any benefits from the BCCI or be connected with any of its activities."

Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL's executive committee, refused to comment on the order.

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ICL bowls legal beamer at BCCI

The tussle between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Indian Cricket League (ICL) reached the courts on Friday. The Subhash Chandra-promoted breakaway cricket body has moved the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain the board from allegedly “intimidating” its players. ICL has also sought permission to use cricket stadiums across the country for its tournaments.

ICL’s lawsuit has urged the court to prevent BCCI from stopping pensions to players who have joined its fold. It also said BCCI should be restrained from using the Indian flag and the country’s name as it has accepted before the Supreme Court that it is a private body.

The newly-formed rebel body has pleaded that no player or state affiliate should be intimidated by BCCI for changing alliance. The court is expected to hear the matter on Monday. Reacting to the development, BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi told ET: “Big deal! So many people file suits against us, this is yet another one. We are yet to receive the plaint yet. Once we have a look at it, we will decide our course of action.”

ICL’s lawsuit comes in the wake of BCCI sacking Kapil Dev as chairman of the National Cricket Academy and barring players who have defected from playing domestic and international cricket representing India. The board also announced its move to hike the match fees for first-class players and increased the prize money for domestic tournaments to Rs 4.2 crore.

Formed this April by Zee Group promoter Subash Chandra in collaboration with IL&FS, ICL recently announced its first pool of 51 cricketers. This included Kapil Dev as executive board chairman and foreign cricketers like Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq. ICL is expected to start matches in the Twenty20 format by October.

BCCI, in turn, is planning to float a rival league of its own, complete with international players, high-profile sponsorships and high-voltage excitement. Tipped to be called the Professional Cricket League (PCL), it will follow the same format as the Premier Hockey League and will be headed by Sunil Gavaskar.

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BCCI's raw deal made me join ICL: Prasanna

Lambasting the BCCI for 'under-utilising' his expertise in grooming spinners, legendary offie E A S Prasanna on Sunday said that he joined the Indian Cricket League as he was assured a big role in developing slow bowlers.

"Kapil Dev (ICL chairman) told me that the league wanted me to help in fulfilling one of its prime objectives - developing good spinners. I found that my objective tallied with theirs. So, I liked the idea and joined the league," Prasanna told PTI over phone.

Prasanna, who formed a lethal spin quartet in the 1960s and 1970s along with B S Bedi, B S Chandrasekhar and S Venkatraghavan for India, has been inducted into ICL executive board.

Prasanna, who is attached to the National Cricket Academy as a bowling consultant, rued that his role in the Bangalore-based academy was mere 'token'.

"My services at the NCA were under-utilised. For instance, this year, I did not get to spend any day with the NCA cadets in Bangalore.

"My duties with the NCA this season were limited to a total of 10 days - five days in Kolkata and five in Nagpur," said the 67-year-old former Test cricketer

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‘ICL is no challenge to BCCI’

A day after Essel group chairman Subhash Chandra debunked talk of falling out with Union agriculture minister and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sharad Pawar, the latter confirmed that they shared a good relationship. That’s despite the Indian Cricket League’s (ICL’s) foray into the business. However, Pawar maintained that ICL, which has taken the board to court, is no threat to BCCI’s supremacy, nor will it ever be. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Subhash Chandra has said some good things about you.
Yes, I’ve seen his statement. I agree with him. It is not a personal battle or an ego clash.

So, you and Chandra continue to be friends.
Yes, we share a healthy relationship. I have known him for a long time. I remember helping him on a few occasions. Our relationship is independent of the ICL and the BCCI.

Do you see ICL as a threat to the BCCI?
No, I don’t. It is a business venture by a businessman. He has every right to do whatever he thinks is good for his business. He can promote his business the way he wants to. Personally, I think it is not my business to be worried about it.

Will Chandra’s business affect the BCCI’s?
Who says that? How can you say that? His is a different venture. His league will not affect the BCCI’s business.

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You can decide ICL team captain

The Subhash Chandra-promoted Indian Cricket League (ICL) refuses to stay out of news. Besides the ongoing spat between the rebel league and the big boy of Indian cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the ICL’s selection process and its marketing plan are heightening the curiosity around the yet-to-be launched league.

In a presentation handed out to media planners, ICL has disclosed its selection process and many marketing tactics to build the league as differently from the BCCI as possible.

So it’s going to be SMS-based polls through which team captains would be selected while it gets telecast live on TV along with having a talent search drive across cities. Every team will play minimum of six matches and a maximum of seven during the tournament, all to be telecast between 7-10:30 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The tournament will be span a with multiple venues. ICL is in preliminary talks with Airtel and the Future Group for team sponsorship, besides a banking and automobile brand which are likely to sign on as keypartners. Although none of deals has been closed yet, say sources close to the development. The ground rights for the ICL are being sold by Zee while the channel sales will be done by Ten Sports.

ICL marketing plan has everything to lure brands. Quite literally. There are blimps, mascots, celebrities, flash mobs, road shows, brand films, music videos, albums and contests to create the much-required buzz around the league which aims to become the Indian version of the Super Bowl. The presentation further states ICL wants to build its corporate identity through an all India reach, sponsoring the coveted award and key cricketing assets.

The league also plans to create ‘space for sports’ through community service along with offering opportunities for local marketing and activation.

Still, there are some media planners who feel that aligning with ICL, which is like a rebel league against the BCCI, is somewhat risky as they don’t want to be caught on the wrong foot of the big boss of Indian cricket.

In fact, some of the biggest media agencies, while accepting the need of such a parallel league, have sounded caution to their clients and are thinking twice before putting their money in this Kerry Packer-like league.

The sponsorship costs is Rs 3.5 crore for four slots as the key partner, Rs 2.3 crore for six slots as team partner and Rs 90 lakh for eight slots as the official partner. The partnership costs are again divided into four slots for Rs 3.5 crore as a key partner, Rs 3 crore for six slots as team partner and Rs 1.5 crore for eight slots as official partner.

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Don’t join the ICL, NZC tells Fleming

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has advised Test captain Stephen Fleming not to join the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) and look for better ways instead of drawing the curtains on his illustrious career.

Fleming has been offered to captain a side in the rebel ICL and the long-serving Kiwi skipper is reportedly mulling retirement from international cricket to join the cash-rich league in India.

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan, who spoke to Fleming, was quoted by The Dominion Post as saying “I just said to him that this is not in the best interest of New Zealand Cricket,”

Apart from Fleming, the Kiwi trio of Chris Harris, Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns are on the ICL radar, while pace spearhead Shane Bond’s name also did the rounds initially

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Losing players to ICL a big blow: Vinod

The Hyderabad Cricket Association will not suggest to the State Government to deny allotment of any ground in the State for the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

“We have not been approached by anyone. Hence, there is no question of going out of the way and getting involved in this issue,” Labour Minister and HCA president G. Vinod told The Hindu. “They have only approached Principal Secretary S. N. Mohanty regarding getting on lease Lal Bahadur Stadium. We were not consulted. And, there is no question of my taking the initiative since I have to follow the BCCI guidelines in this regard. We will only abide by Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s advice if the situation merits such a scenario,” Mr. Vinod said.

Asked if given the option, would he advise the Government against leasing out the stadium to ICL, he said, “I cannot comment on that right now. Let us wait and see. I am not sure how the ICL will move forward in the coming months.”

Mr. Vinod says that the unfortunate developments in the wake of ICL could have been avoided if only it had discussed with the BCCI ways and means to promote cricket and discuss issues such as avoiding clash of schedules in the domestic calendar.

“If you look at the similar case in West Indies where a private individual is promoting the sport in a big way by pumping in huge sums of money, he is doing so with the consent of the West Indies Cricket Board,” the Minister said.

He confessed that the rebellion by the Hyderabad cricketers would definitely deal a huge blow and it would be a tough task in rebuilding the State team as also demanding a critical assessment of the issues raised by them.

“I am not alone in the HCA. The committee members have to debate on these issues along with the BCCI guidelines in the wake of ICL controversy,” he remarked.

“We have to really work hard. The next three to four months will be really tough as we cannot replace these cricketers straightway,” Vinod said.

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Butcher denies ICL link, Ramprakash not on radar

Former England batsman and Surrey captain Mark Butcher dismissed media reports linking him to the Indian cricket League (ICL), even as his county also clarified that another player, Mark Ramprakash, has not received any such offer either.

Earlier, 'The Times' had claimed that the 35-year-old Butcher, who has played 71 Test matches for England, has been approached to captain one of the six sides in the breakaway league.

Former England captain Tony Greig, part of ICL's Executive Board, reportedly identified Butcher to join the rebel league.

Butcher, however, expressed surprise at the report and insisted he was just focusing on his job at Surrey.

"When I was told of the claims made in The Times, I was completely surprised and slightly disconcerted to see my name attached to something that I knew nothing about. I have not received any kind of approach from the ICL," he said.

"If I was to have received an invitation to play in the ICL, my first action would be to alert Surrey and discuss possible outcomes with them," Butcher added in a statement.

Surrey media spokesman Nathan Ross, meanwhile, told BBC Sport that the prolific Mark Ramprakash has not been approached by the ICL authorities either.

However, in case any of the players defect to the Indian league, Surrey is unlikely to object, he said.

"Anyone who wanted to play would effectively be out of contract so there wouldn't be a lot we could do about it even if we were to oppose it, which at the moment we don't, we don't have a stance. It's nothing to do with us it's more of an ICC, ECB thing," Ross said.

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ICL questions BCCI’s use of national icons

The tussle between the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reached the Delhi High Court on Friday. ICL moved court seeking to stop the board from using the name India or the national flag for its team in international matches.
ICL also asked for directions to ensure that BCCI would not “threaten” players who join the league or stop the pension of a former player who had joined ICL.

ICL has also sought restrain on BCCI from interfering in its affairs and preventing the league from using stadiums all over the country to organise ICL matches.

“The BCCI had earlier submitted before the Supreme Court that it was a private body and the players were also playing for the Board, so the team should not use the name of India and its flag during matches in India and abroad,” the ICL petition contended.

After the launch of ICL, BCCI had prevented state cricket associations from offering their grounds to the new league. It had also withdrawn benefits from cricketers associated with ICL.



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BCCI may still be bowled by ICL fee structure

Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a rise of nearly 40 per cent in the match fees of domestic cricketers, it may still not be able to level its challenger-body, Subhash Chandra’s India Cricket League (ICL).

That’s despite the fact that Indian cricket’s governing body plans to allocate Rs 55 crore (a 30 per cent increase over last year) as match fees for domestic cricketers in 2007-08.

Star cricketers in the ICL will earn more than BCCI cricketers primarily because of the way the contracts are structured. That is despite the fact that their estimated fees per match day, at Rs 33,333, are lower than the BCCI’s Rs 36,000 per match day fees in 2007-08.

Yesterday the BCCI announced domestic cricketers would be paid Rs 36,000 per match day in the current financial year, from around Rs 26,000 per match day in the last fiscal.

Each senior cricketer plays up to 45 match days in domestic cricket (if his team notches up a stellar performance), taking the annual match fee earnings of local players up to Rs 16.2 lakh.

However, the ICL, according to industry estimates, has signed three-year contracts with local players that are worth between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 90 lakh, with each ICL player to be seen in action for 45 to 90 match days per year.

Assuming that a player earning an annual fee of Rs 30 lakh plays for 90 days, each player will earn Rs 33,333 per match day.

The advantage for ICL players is that the amount in the contract is a guaranteed sum, as opposed to BCCI fees, which require that players be in the team for the match in question.

Therefore, factors like being dropped from the team and injuries could impact the fees of players affiliated to the BCCI. The prize money, however, at Rs 4.2 crore is the same for both sides, though the BCCI revised it yesterday.

Despite having incurred an additional expense of Rs 26 crore under the head “player fees”, BCCI executives say the bottom line of cricket’s richest governing body will not be severely hit.

The steep increase in income from broadcasting rights has resulted in more income for the board. Overall income for the BCCI in 2006-07 was Rs 650 crore against Rs 430 crore in 2005-06. BCCI executives say 80 per cent of that income is from broadcasting rights.

“The BCCI's income has increased considerably due to the revenue earned through selling media and sponsorship rights. Therefore, we can now share more with our players,” said Ratnakar Shetty, chief administrative officer of the BCCI.

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ICL players excited about the new prospect

Rubbing shoulders with Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq would have otherwise remained a unfulfilled dream for many players in the domestic circuit, but after joining the Indian Cricket League, the likes of Kaushik Reddy are waiting for their day in the sun.

The Hyderabad Ranji players who were the first take the ICL plunge, showing the way to numerous others living their day in the domestic competition, could not suppress their excitement at joining the league.

"We are all very happy to be associated with the ICL. They have given us an opportunity to play with stars like Injamam-ul-Haq," Kaushik Reddy told reporters at the airport here after their arrival from Mumbai.

Eight Hyderabad players- Anirudh Singh, Ambati T Rayudu, Vinay Kumar, Ibrahim Khalil, I S Reddy, Kaushik Reddy, Shashank Nag and Alfred Absolam- were among the list of 44 Indian players unveiled by the ICL, promoted by Essel Group, at Mumbai on Monday.

BCCI is holding its Special General Body Meeting in Mumbai today and the players who have joined ICL are waiting on what decision the board takes on the move.

The Cricket Board is also expected to take a decision on National Cricket Academy Chairman Kapil Dev, who also heads the ICL Executive Board.

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BCCI hikes domestic match fees

The war between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the ICL is well and truly on. A day after Subhash Chandra’s breakaway group announced that 51 players had joined the league, the BCCI responded by sacking Kapil Dev as chairman of the National Cricket Academy and increasing the pay pack of domestic cricketers to prevent further exodus.

The BCCI also reiterated its stand that players who associate with ICL will not be eligible for benefits or to play for the country or their state. What this means is that the ICL players have basically been banned by the BCCI.

Along with the ban, the BCCI is likely to increase the match fee for the senior domestic tournment players from Rs 26,000 per day to Rs 36,000. The prize money for domestic tournaments is being hiked to Rs 42 million.


The payment to domestic players is expected to touch Rs 550 million for 2007-08, up from Rs 430 million in 2006-2007. This was Rs 310 million in 2005-2006.

The projected distribution for international players for 2007-2008 is expected to be Rs 550 million. This was Rs 430 million in 2006-07, while in 2005-06 it was Rs 310 million and Rs 260 million in 2004-2005.

The BCCI also today announced that surplus income for the year was Rs 2.3 billion as against Rs 330 million in 2005-2006. Overall income for 2006-2007 was Rs 6.5 billion as against Rs 4.3 billion in 2005-2006.


The BCCI will also set up a museum and will invest Rs 100 million on it. For this, it is negotiating and collecting archival materials.

The BCCI is also planning to set up a national cricket academy in Bangalore. The board will create an indoor cricket academy in Delhi and a coaching academy in
Kolkata to serve the East and North Eastern states.

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ICL may spend Rs 150 crore

With the announcement that as many as 52 players have joined Subhash Chandra’s parallel cricket league, Subhash Chandra’s ambitious Indian Cricket League seems to be finally taking shape. Most analyst still believe this is only the first success and the road ahead is still long and winding. Though Essel, along with infrastructure major IL&FS set aside a corpus of Rs 100 crore at the launch of the league, sports analysts peg the total spend by the Essel Group to kick-start the league to around Rs 150 crore.

According to most analysts, the first priority of the ICL was to get players to sign up followed by a marketing blitz and then broadcasting and setting up the infrastructure.

For signing up new players, ICL is paying around Rs 30 - 60 lakhs to all the ‘no-namers’ i.e. those players that do not have a name to themselves and are domestic players. For a requirement of around 60 to 80 players this comes to around Rs 30 crore. Add on to this the branded players that are expected to join the league.

“Lara would not be expected to join for less than Rs 2 - 3 crore,” one analyst said. Estimating a requirement of around 8 to 10 ‘branded’ players, the bill for player sign-up goes up by another Rs 30 crore.

The second most important issue for Essel is the marketing behind the league. This will be the main differentiator between the ICL and the domestic or international tournaments.

Media honchos like Manish Porwal of Starcom Mediavest believe the ICL is not looking at overthrowing the present system but bridge the gap between the international arena, which gets the highest viewership globally and the Ranji trophy, which gets hardly any eye-balls. The timing also makes a lot of sense with the tournament coming right after the 20:20 world cup thereby creating the appetite.

This makes the analyst estimate the marketing costs to around Rs 20 crore.

As for the third most important issue i.e. playing and broadcasting infrastructure, as Essel owns major broadcaster, Zee Telefilms Ltd, this should not cost them too much. "Around Rs 20 lakh a day totalling to around Rs 10 crore for the season," the analysts say.

As far as revenues go, they have plenty of options to make their margins and much more. India's cricket circus today romps in between Rs 20,00-3,000 crore. A 10% share of this would be enough to cover ICL's base costs.

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BCCI gears up to meet threat from ICL

Acutely aware of the perceived challenge to their authority by the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), which is luring young domestic cricketers into its fold, the bigwigs of the Cricket Board are girding their loins to meet it head-on.

A direct confrontation between the Essel Group-floated League, which has already roped in India's lone World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev and West Indian legend Brian Lara, and the BCCI is on the cards with the ICL set to announce later in the day names of the players who have joined it.

It would be interesting to see the manner in which BCCI decides to deal with Kapil Dev, still the head of its National Cricket Academy, as well as other current players, who have joined the rebel organisation.

The ICL and the legal ramifications of any action, including a ban, on those who have joined it would dominate the discussions at the meeting of the BCCI's Working Committee tomorrow morning.

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