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The ICL as a viable option
Light at the end of the tunnel
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
November 30, 2007
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Kiran Powar: 'Tell me one reason why I shouldn't join the ICL'
© ICL
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About 15 years ago Kiran Powar was a bigger name in Mumbai cricket than his brother
Ramesh. A left-hand batsman with a wide array of strokes, Kiran struggled to break
into a powerful Mumbai batting order and switched allegiance to other states. He
spent a number of seasons in Assam and Goa, during which time he made many long journeys by bus, and often, considering hotels were too much of a luxury, even spent nights in one. Frequently, with reimbursement hard to come by, he paid his own travel expenses. He even wasn't compensated when he was hospitalised once.
Today Powar enjoys the comfort of the Taj hotel in Chandigarh. He shares the same dressing room as Brian Lara and Nathan Astle. When I speak to him, he's having lunch with Vikram Solanki, Johan van der Wath and Danny Redrup, a South African physio who is "showing me the sort of fitness a cricketer needs". For the first time in Powar's life he has a sense of security. "Tell me one reason why I shouldn't join the ICL" he challenges.
Powar's isn't an isolated case. The general mood among the Indian domestic players
who have joined the ICL is one of disgruntlement. "Until today none of us had an
option," says a player who was picked for India a couple of years ago. "Now we have
someone to take care of us. Wait for some time and players will just rush in."
The BCCI's apathy is a sore point. A domestic veteran talks about a prominent state association. "They made a big din about introducing central contracts for players," he says. "Finally, we said, we've got some security. And they give us an annual contract of Rs 25,000 [US$ 500 approximately]. Is that any sort of money for a year?"
Even more frustrating has been the handling of injuries. Shalabh Srivatsava, an Under-19 star who went on to do well consistently for Uttar Pradesh, travelled to South Africa for an expensive surgery. He is still waiting to be reimbursed. Rakesh Patel, the Baroda fast bowler who was selected for the Indian one-day side recently, underwent a similar fate. "The biggest problem is we can't play when we're injured," says Powar. "It means no reimbursement and no match fees. How do you survive?"
Redrup chips in: "This is exactly how rugby used to be conducted in South Africa
during the amateur days. But things changed with professionalism."
The situation with the coaching staff who have signed up with the ICL isn't too different. Erapalli Prasanna, the former India offspinner, who was with the BCCI's ill-fated spin wing had had enough of being ignored. "By sending me to Nagpur and to Kolkata for short periods, the NCA [National Cricket Academy] sent a clear message that I was not required. The other signal I got was that the BCCI wanted to get rid of me. The spin wing is finished."
Sandeep Patil, who is currently coaching the Mumbai Champs, echoes those views. ""I waited for the BCCI to give me a suitable job to serve Indian cricket. Twice I had written to the BCCI president, Sharad Pawar, expressing my interest to be a coach of the India A
side. I was assured a two-year contract, but after waiting for almost one and a half
years, nothing came of it."
Hurdles, hurdles, hurdles
It's not been easy for these players and coaches who have signed with the ICL. They are derisively referred to as "money whores".
Reetinder Singh Sodhi, the former India allrounder, speaks about being refused
entry into a ground in Patiala. "Imagine the scene," he says. "You've gone to a
ground to practise almost every day of your life. And one day they stop you. As if
I'm a criminal or something. I'm still playing cricket only, no?"
Bengal's players faced a similar situation at the Calcutta Cricket and Football
Club, though the Essel Group, which runs the ICL, had a corporate membership at the club. JP Yadav and Mohnish Mishra, two Madhya Pradesh players, were forced to withdraw from a club tournament in Bhopal for a similar reason.
Three Hyderabad players with jobs in state banks were apparently transferred to
Kolkata recently. They've to now choose between moving to a new city and losing
their jobs.
All ICL players have been banned from playing in corporate tournaments organised by the BCCI. Those who have jobs have had their terms of employment made more stringent. Madhya Pradesh batsman Abbas Ali, who works with Indian Oil, is required to work from 9am to 5pm every day and struggles to find time for practice.
It is the youngsters who are hardest hit. "A young cricketer finds a job by telling his employees that he's a cricketer," says JP Yadav, the former India allrounder. "Now, since he can't play corporate tournaments, how is a company going to give him a job? That's a big worry."
Another implication is that cricketers may have to give up the option of playing league
cricket in England - since that requires a minimum qualification of four first-class
games in a season.
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Sandeep Patil waited in vain for a job as India A coach before signing with the ICL
© ICL
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Positives galore
Despite the ostracism the players remain upbeat. When JP Yadav walked into the
Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, his first reaction was simple: "It's fine, yaar. You're talking to someone who's played cricket all his life at the Karnail Singh Stadium." That, incidentally, is the headquarters of the Indian Railways side, a first-class ground that's universally regarded as India's worst in terms of facilities.
The players have been given 12 pairs each of coloured uniforms. They've been exposed to physios and trainers streets ahead of the ones they've been used to in Indian first-class cricket. They've received 25% of the yearly payment promised them (as the base price), and are happy to see sums being deposited every month in Axis Bank accounts that have been opened for them.
Some foreign players have been impressed with the local talent and have spoken about
recommending them to counties and provinces. "Abhishek Jhunjunwala has been
noticed," says a senior player with the Bengal Tigers. "He was even asked if he would want to qualify to play for England."
The ICL, for all the talk of being the poor cousin to the Indian board's Indian Premier League, is still an option that a number of Indian domestic players are seriously considering. As recently as September, a couple of players on the fringes were apparently seriously contemplating joining. Both made their India debuts subsequently and shelved the plan.
A number of other players, though, are still in the loop. "I've got a call from so many domestic cricketers asking, 'What's happening, are they recruiting?" says Yadav. "People are definitely interested. It's just a matter of taking the leap." Like several others, he is convinced that the next 15 days will only reinforce their faith.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo
© Cricinfo
 Read Comments (32)
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I think ICL is doing a great job to indian cricket. BCCI thinks it is Indian goverment although it consist of majority who has never played cricket in their life. Except few most of them are outdated, thrive on personal interest rather than indian cricket interest. They want to be a Mugabe of Indian cricket. This competition is going to improve things and expose althose jokers inside BCCI.
Posted by ssinha on December 05 2007, 17:59 PM GMT
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BCCI is NOT a Indian Government organization to pose that their team alone is the 'India team". It is just like any other private company - which is making huge money absolutely undeservingly using the media value. And obviously BCCI has not served the cause of cricket. Soon ICL will get the power and will challenge any team in the world. There are thousands of Tendulkars & Kapil Devs in this Billion population. There should be more private organizations such as ICLs and more such internal matches should be and shown (so people will see the talent). Yes, I agree they should all come to an agreement ultimately how the "India team" should be. It is a common practice for the organizations (to unite like that).
Posted by TRAM on December 04 2007, 02:44 AM GMT
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Most people of my generation would not have forgotten how Kerry Packer Circus revolutionized international cricket. ICL will do that to BCCI. ICL has professional cricketers -- Indian and overseas -- whereas BCCI is headed by a sugar farmer who has probably never held a bat or cricket ball in his hand. Most state associations have such functionaries and like to bask in the glory of cricketers and their feats. The time is not far off when the "Big Four" of Indian cricket hang up their boots. BCCI will scramble towards dear Kapil Dev for help! Since the World Cup will be round the corner then, it's the ICL oriented guys who'll fill the gaps adequately. Look at the way the BCCI is treating the Chairman of its selection committee, forgetting his feats as a cricketer from 1975 to 1992. More domestic players will join ICL and maybe Duleep and Ranji tourneys will struggle to field state teams.
Posted by Shammi_Brown on December 03 2007, 17:58 PM GMT
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ICL is doing a great job in giving a good deal to Indian talents and fringe players. interaction with some of the top international stars will further improve their skill and temperament. Ventures like the ICL need to be supported as it is being run extremely professionally with a great deal of thought for the cricketers and ex-cricketers being mainly responsible for management. Without such ventures, these talents may languish in oblivion under the present system of cricket management with its favoritism and power games.Everyone knows how the BCCI and its affiliates are run by businessmen and politicians who have the disgusting habit of ill treating past and present cricketers and have no accountability for failures in providing facilities, infrastructure and security to the cricketers. The cricket loving public needs to focus their disenchantment on these real killers of the sport instead of throwing tantrums against cricketers after a couple of failures.
Posted by S_Arun on December 03 2007, 14:35 PM GMT
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I think this is going to be a turning point for the game in INDIA & the world. ICL is going to make the game like the NFL, NBA or MBL with lots of teams participating and allowing the player cotracts, exchanges and run by individual entities all over the world - in short the game is going to becom more like a business, if it's already not one - and even ICC might get revamped along with the individual boards. The inevitability is here and it's better to accept than fight it. Let's enjoy the game and support the favourate teams with passion - the Amereican way!
Posted by Born-2b-free on December 03 2007, 13:37 PM GMT
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BCCI has never stood by the prestige of India / Indians when :
a) ICC's has looted Indians by penalising them for offences identical to OR smaller than offences for which ICC have allowed English/WI/Australian cricketers go scott free. I have personally provided such a list of discriminations to Mr. Dave Richardson of ICC asking for explainations, no reply inspite of reminders.
b) ICC's Umpires decided matches against Indians through a regular pattern of "Human Errors" which interestingly only cost India results in live series.
An earnest request from me to Sachin, Saurav, Kumble, Sehwag et al would be - join the ICL.
If nothing else, hopefully the dwindling of their sponsorship money will teach BCCI to stand up for India, Since BCCI seems to be BCCM (for Money) rather than BCCI (for India). When the become I for India, you could join them back.
Posted by AsherCA on December 02 2007, 19:20 PM GMT
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I do think that the ICL is a boon for the players. The BCCI is just taking advantage of the monopoly it enjoys. Basically I dont see any problem with the ICL using cricket to mint money. Cmon, who does not? Cricket Austalia does, BCCI does!
My point is that the players should not be ignored. There is no deyning the fact that the BCCI neglected the domestic players. They still do it. How else can one explain the BCCI's willingness to revert their ban orders for ICL's foreign contracted players but not the indian players if it was not for the money these foreign players bring?
The mindset has to change and only professionalism can bring about such change, till then BCCI would continue milking its high performance cows.
Posted by AugiTh on December 02 2007, 16:13 PM GMT
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Hats off to Kapil Dev & the Essel group for creating ICL. After reading some of the news itme of Sandeep Patil, Prasanna, RS Sodhi, Kiran Powar and many others, I feel ashamed how they were ignored & how badly they were treated...I salute & bow to the courage, zeal & determination of all those cricketers & associates who were suffered for cricket. The less said about BCCI is better....may God give ICL strenght to continue the support for the neglected one.
3 Cheers ICL...
Calhyde
Posted by calhyde on December 02 2007, 07:19 AM GMT
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It is indeed disheartening of Cricinfo to not put the results of ICL per se. The way even Indian news channels have (maybe) disowned or didnt have rights of the publishing of ICL matches is really disappointing, except of course Zee and its local channels. When will really the Cricket come out of the wedded wedlock of the cunning and cruel intentitious alma of the ICC, only such leagues or the KFC sponsored matches in the Caribbean, time will only tell. Every sport should be encouraged true not only Cricket but being biased on private organisations seeing the plight of their countrymen not able to make it to the top level of the sport, notwithstanding the talent is truly disheartening for sports loving people like me. I want the so called ban on the ICL truly uplifted and instead of just only making money the ICC should encourage well to do companies to just see that talent doesnt get wasted by investing in talent hunt and the likewise.
Posted by raveekoomar on December 02 2007, 01:04 AM GMT
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my verdict after seeing the first set of matches is bit mixed actually i was totally disappointed by the BCCI Attitude towards ICL but initial matches were kind of ok maybe the pitches had role to play i admit after lara got out i turned over to watch regular EPL :-) maybe we are all used to batting pitches so this kinda slow pitch for T20 was kinda disappointment ..
Posted by sand_dunes on December 01 2007, 21:04 PM GMT
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