Zee TV announces parallel cricket league :doh:

[Holysmoke]

In what will be perceived as a direct threat to the existing cricket structure, Zee TV's founder-chairman Subhash Chandra today announced the creation of a parallel cricket league at the domestic level. At a press conference in New Delhi, Chandra announced that the league will be floated with a corpus of Rs 100 crore, and will offer top prize money of $ 1 million. The league will comprise six teams of 14 players each. Each team will contain four international players and two players who are playing or have played cricket for India. The other eight players will be drawn from budding cricketers across the country. "We have expertise in talent-search in the entertainment field, we will use that same expertise to unearth cricketing talent in India," Chandra said. He said each team will have a coach, physio, and even psychological trainer. The league will have a professional media manager, and an ombudsman to resolve issues that may be raised by the public, or even by the players. Chandra did not yet go into the names of players who will participate in this league, but said discussions are on and more announcements are expected shortly. It is early days yet, but Zee appears to have struck the iron in, hard, at the psychological moment: the Indian fan is disgruntled with the national team in the wake of the World Cup fiasco; much of his anger is also targeted at the BCCI for mismanaging cricket and failing to unearth new talent; the unwieldly domestic structure has been blamed for killing, rather than nurturing, fresh talent. In one shot, thus, the Zee initiative addresses all these grouses, and creates a climate of hope and expectation that contrasts with the cloud surrounding the official body. Further details awaited source -> http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2007/apr/03zee.htm

[Holysmoke]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league New Delhi: Zee Telefilms today took the Cricket Board by surprise by announcing a parallel cricket league in the country, three decades after Australian millionaire Kerry Packer had done a similar thing to revolutionalise the game worldwide. Addressing a press conference here, chairman of Essel Group Subhash Chandra announced the break-away league which would be initially played in the Twenty20 format. Chandra said the league will have an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore and each of the six teams would be coached by an ex-India player. He said each team would comprise four foreign, two Indian and eight budding players. He said the Essel Group also had the plan of setting up cricket academies and the BCCI was free to draw from the pool of talented players. Chandra said the league had been aimed at improving the quality of cricket talent in India, and could be the richest professional league with an annual prize money Rs 10 lakh "It troubles me that the country with more than a billion cricket fans and a million cricket enthusiast fairs so poorly at the international stage. A new approach must be taken for the sports to grow and prosper in the years ahead," he said. "A professional league is the need of the hour as is the killer instinct in the players. Budding talent must be groomed at the grass root level and given the experience to play on competitive pitches and not on placid tracks," he added. The concept of a parallel league was introduced by media tycoon Kerry Packer, who introduced the World Series Cricket in 1977 which attracted a hosts of top players at that time. mid day -> http://www.mid-day.com/news/nation/2007/april/154749.htm

[apocalypse]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league yes I saw that news flash in rediff but the details were not posted then so Zee trying to reap in money through cricket

[beetle]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league The guy would have more credibility if he didn't jump on the effigy burning fan's bandwagon.......to launch this. Just imagine a guy taking cheapshots with corny cheap jokes at a team that is already down and out talking about working for building cricket. If they seriously mean it ...it could put a bit of pressure on BCCI but nothing more.

[Parth]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league A good idea but its going to take ages to set up. look at cricinfo.com

[Cricketics]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league heard some over seas players also would be selected.

[Bumper]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league Good move. BCCI needs to be threatened with more such competition.

[yoda]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league Great idea if implemented like the US pro leagues, with independent owners and integrity.

[The Outsider]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league What a joke! The players dont play domestic cricket. When are they going to find the time for the parallel league.

[Gambit]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league Interesting but how is it going to impact international cricket? I mean, if some Indian players do play in this league and do well, will those performances be factored in when it comes to selections? Aren't the loyalties going to be divided? As long as BCCI are at the helm, my guess is that those players who play in this will never been considered for selection again.

[Chandan]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league

What a joke! The players dont play domestic cricket. When are they going to find the time for the parallel league.

Did you read this?

The league will comprise six teams of 14 players each. Each team will contain four international players and two players who are playing or have played cricket for India. The other eight players will be drawn from budding cricketers across the country.

Its good that BCCI gets pressurised.

[The Outsider]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league

Did you read this?

Yes, and how are the two players playing for India going to play in this league? Moreover, the other eight domestic players will be obligated to play BCCI tournaments during the season over the league. One possible solution would be to hold the matches in off season in places like Dharamshala, Darjeeling etc.

[Gambit]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league For better or worse, this is going to split Indian cricket in half. All I want to know is how will it impact international cricket because let's face it: Indian fans are not going throng to watch Delhi Dhobis vs Mumbai Mechanics ,no matter who plays or how imaginative the team names are.

[beetle]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league How many fans come to watch sachin ,sehwag or dravid play for their local teams?.......the response is pathetic. People only come to see the whole India team.

[yoda]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league

For better or worse' date=' this is going to split Indian cricket in half. All I want to know is how will it impact international cricket because let's face it: Indian fans are not going throng to watch Delhi Dhobis vs Mumbai Mechanics ,no matter who plays or how imaginative the team names are.[/quote'] Why? If the prices are affordable and quality is half decent people will watch, especially if it is a 20-20 and one can see a game in the 3 hours it takes most sport to finish.

[Chandan]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league

how are the two players playing for India going to play in this league?

They'll be "playing or have played" for India. #Suppose if the team is on ODI tour, Laxman and few more test specialists can play. #Likewise when tests are going on, ODI specialists can play. #When no such players are present then players having played in any format in last few month but are not a part of the team then, can play.

[yoda]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league

how are the two players playing for India going to play in this league?

They'll be "playing or have played" for India. #Suppose if the team is on ODI tour, Laxman and few more test specialists can play. #Likewise when tests are going on, ODI specialists can play. #When no such players are present then players having played in any format in last few month but are not a part of the team then, can play.

I am sure the BCCI would prevent contracted players from playing in that league.

[The Outsider]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league

They'll be "playing or have played" for India. #Suppose if the team is on ODI tour, Laxman and few more test specialists can play. #Likewise when tests are going on, ODI specialists can play. #When no such players are present then players having played in any format in last few month but are not a part of the team then, can play.

In all likelihood the parallel league will run at around the same time as the Indian domestic competitions and in that case the BCCI will make sure that players participate in the domestic matches and not in the parallel league.

[gs]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league I am not sure how it will finally pan out, but BCCI could use some competition!! :hic:

[head coach]

Re: Zee TV announces parallel cricket league Zee is angry at BCCI on losing out to Nimbus. What they have a proposed is a good idea but hard to materialize and bear any fruits. If it happens it'll be a league with bunch of player who lost out of the race. BCCI is run by bunch of money oreinted power hungry politicians and business men who wants popularity, power and prestige. They're not going to budge when a millionare comes out with such announcements. It would have been a wise decision if Zee could get one of the domestic competion leased out to them for a fixed amount per year payable to BCCI and then they could have benefitited from all the sponsorship money.