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ICL winners to get Rs 2.50 crore The winning team in the upcoming ICL Twenty20 cricket tournament would get a prize money of Rs 2.50 crore, while the runners-up would pocket Rs 1.25 crore, the organisers said. More... ICL winners to get Rs 2.50 crore Agencies Posted online: Saturday , March 08, 2008 at 1440 hrs IST Chandigarh, March 8:: The winning team in the upcoming ICL Twenty20 cricket tournament would get a prize money of Rs 2.50 crore, while the runners-up would pocket Rs 1.25 crore, the organisers said. The Essel Group-backed Indian Cricket League announced a prize money corpus of Rs 12.33 crore for its upcoming 'Edelweiss 20s Challenge' to be held at Panchkula, Gurgaon and Hyderabad. The team finishing third would be richer by Rs 50 lakh, Executive Board Member of the ICL Kiran More said. The financial incentive for every win at the league stage will be Rs 25 lakh, resulting in a total prize money of Rs seven crore at the league stage. Individual performances will also be handsomely rewarded during the 34 matches with an impressive Rs 2 lakh for Man of the Match and Rs 40 lakh for the Man of the Series, More said. Executive Board Member Tony Greig said it was fulfilling to see the ICL making rapid strikes in terms of growing bigger and better in only its first year of operations. Multiple venues, additional teams, an improved player base and to top it all, a very impressive prize money to be won, should make the tournament an enthralling experience for both players and cricket fans, the former England captain added. Two new teams - Ahmedabad Rockets and Lahore Badshahs - have been added to the existing six teams, making the tournament more competitive. The six other teams are Delhi Giants, Mumbai Champs, Hyderabad Heroes, Chennai Superstars, Chandigarh Lions and Kolkata Tigers.

[guju24]

Stage set for ICL's second coming Ashok Ganguly March 8, 2008 Shane Bond, the ICL's latest star recruit, will turn out for the Delhi Jets © Getty Images With the ICC-backed IPL tournament scheduled to kick off in April, the Indian Cricket League (ICL) has plenty at stake as its second edition kicks off in Panchkula tomorrow. The organisers have ensured it's a grander affair than its inaugural version. The winning team stands to pocket Rs. 25 million (US$ 625,000 approx.), an increase of Rs 5 million from last year. There are two new teams, among which is an all Pakistani-outfit, the Lahore Badshahs, and many new international stars, among whom the star attraction is undoubtedly Shane Bond. The tournament will be held in three locations instead of one - Panchkula, Hyderabad and Gurgaon. Fresh blood The ICL has pulled off a huge coup by roping in Bond, who was among the best fast bowlers when fit. It has also signed on Damien Martyn, who will lead the other new team, the Ahmedabad Rockets, and a couple of batsmen with plenty of big-hitting ability, Justin Kemp and Lou Vincent. Besides the four, there are 20 other new overseas players in this year's tournament, including the 37-year-old Adam Parore, who has returned to the game after six years of retirement. First-edition stand-outs A few players who were impressive in the first edition of the tournament are back to try and repeat their act. Among those who impressed last year were: Ian Harvey: The former Australia allrounder emerged as the top scorer of the tournament with 266 runs from seven matches at 44.33, and he also took his team, the Chandigarh Lions, to the summit clash, where they eventually lost to the Chennai Superstars. Marvan Atapattu: His strike-rate in ODIs is an ordinary 67.72, but Atapattu changed his game to suit the Twenty20 format. He emerged as the second-highest scorer, with 235 runs from six matches at 58.75, at a highly impressive strike-rate of 128.41. Abdul Razzaq: Razzaq continued from where he left off in international cricket, blasting 13 sixes, the most in the tournament, on his way to being the fifth-highest run-scorer with an aggregate of 181 at a strike-rate of 163.06. T Kumaran: Kumaran, the Chennai-based right-arm seamer who made a couple of appearances in India's ODI team in the late 1990s, was the bowler of the tournament, taking 13 wickets from six matches at 11.76. That included a match-winning 6 for 21 against Mumbai Champs. Shabbir Ahmed: Frustrated with the Pakistan board's dithering over his selection and the constant question-marks over his action, Shabbir left it all behind and joined the Chennai Superstars, where he played a big part in their title-triumph, claiming 10 wickets at 10.40, while taking the tournament's first hat-trick in the final. Teams to watch out for Defending champions Chennai Superstars are capable of performing a repeat act. They have Harvey to play the lead role with the bat, while Kumaran and Shabbir have shown themselves to be very capable with the ball. Lahore Badshahs are the only team that comprise players from one country, and this fact alone could give them an edge. The Badshahs are led by Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has shifted base from the Hyderabad Heroes, and their bowling looks particularly strong, with the likes of Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq to choose from. They also have Imran Nazir, the attacking opener, to give their innings a boost at the start. Himanshu Mody, the ICL's business head, told Cricinfo that the Lahore Badshahs will "add a whole new dimension to the league". Last year's finalist, the Chandigarh Lions, captained by the inspirational Chris Cairns, have been strengthened by arrivals of Matthew Elliott, the former Australian domestic run machine, and Vincent, while Andrew Hall and Daryl Tuffey will lead their bowling. Format A total of 34 matches - including a best-of-three finals - are in store between March 9 to April 7: the eight teams will play each oher once, with the top four teams going through to the semi-finals. The inaugural match will feature a day-night encounter between the Ahmedabad Rockets and the Chandigarh Lions in Panchkula. There will be one match every evening, and two per day on most of the weekends. There will also be two more venues this time - the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad and the Teri Oval in Gurgaon. In a move that will keep potential advertisers happy, the Zee network has capitalised on its recent tie-up with the Dubai-based Ten Sports channel, and will simultaneously show the matches on two channels, Zee Sports and Ten Sports, thereby guaranteeing a significant increase in viewership in India. How this tournament pans out will indicate if the ICL can offer sustained competition to the more glamorous IPL, which will launch its first edition in April. Really Looking For This Tournament....it will be good to see how they organize compare to upcomming IPL...

[Zakhmi]

ICL to be shown live in Pakistan The second edition of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) will have much stronger viewership with Geo Super sports channel airing the matches in Pakistan. ICL's second tournament, which kicked off on Sunday in India, will be shown live on three different TV networks, including Zee sports of the Essel group, which floated the parallel league in India last year. The first edition of the ICL was only covered live on Zee network which does not have a big viewership here but the gap seems set to be bridged this time. "The increased coverage of the ICL matches which will also be shown, as usual, on Zee network means the league, despite its unofficial status, is moving forward and will get more attention and viewership for sure," Jamal Mir, who specialises in cricket event and media management told PTI. While TEN Sports is the official broadcaster of the matches for the Pakistan Cricket Board, Geo Super covers domestic cricket in Pakistan. "It will be interesting to see how the PCB is going to react to the two channels telecasting the unofficial ICL matches now," one former player said. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/mar/09icl.htm

[Zakhmi]

Stars ready to roll at ICL Besides Bond, this edition features Damien Martyn, Adam Parore, and the big hitter Justin Kemp. Bond's name had done the rounds as a possible participant since April last year, and his inclusion this year gives the tournament a little more validity. But with each tournament, it finds less and less support from the establishment. The England Cricket Board has said it will ban any players who participate in the league. With this declaration the ECB joins a clutch of other boards. more...

[guju24]

Aamir, Kareena set to buy ICL teams PANCHKULA: Now, it’s Khan versus Khan in cricket too! As Shah Rukh Khan launched his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday, it was learnt that Indian Cricket League (ICL) team Lahore Badshahs will be taken over by his Bollywood rival Aamir. Kareena Kapoor, who won all the awards this year for her role in Jab We Met , will take over another ICL team — Mumbai Champs. ICL sources informed that instead of buying the teams, both Aamir and Kareena are going for multiple sponsorships with the Lahore Badshahs and Mumbai Champs, respectively. According to the deals, Lahore Badshahs’ players like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Azhar Mahmood and Mohammad Sami will feature in the promotions of Aamir’s films in the future. Aamir and the other stars of his film will also perform in the ICL matches that the Lahore Badshahs will play. "These players will also promote Aamir’s films in Pakistan," a source close to the team said. TOI

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ICL fighting against the odds: More Rahul Bhatia asks ICL Executive board member Kiran More a few basic questions. More... ICL fighting against the odds: More The Rediff Cricket Interview | Kiran More Kiran More March 12, 2008 When Kiran More was appointed to the Indian Cricket League's executive board, it was seen as a coup for the rebel organization. Rahul Bhatia caught up with him for a few basic questions. Why Panchkula? Look, it's a fact. We didn't have options. But in five months we've got three grounds. It's good enough, I think. After the first edition of the tournament there was a lot of thinking within the Essel group [the tournament organizers] about how to make it better.How have you done this one differently? Again, the addition of two teams plus the three new venues are something we came up with. We also wanted to have more academies. In January, when you had that meeting to address the problems with the ICL, one of the suggestions you received was that you could rope in college and school grounds that had nothing to do with the BCCI. What are you doing about that? In the long term we'll look into it. Right now there are too many grounds available. It's a matter of finding the right grounds in the right areas. And how do you select these grounds? If I look at the north, I can have an academy at Panchkula and use it for Jammu and Kashmir [images], Services, Punjab, and Jalandhar as a main academy, with five other academies in the area. Same thing in the east and west as well. We need to have places like Panchkula. We might have one ground in Surat, or anywhere else. Your first academy will be initiated in May? Yes, but we're still looking at a couple of places with good facilities. When the league began, Subhash Chandra said there would be this '3-D' approach: discovery, diligence, and display. Now discovery would mean actually finding talent and raising it from the ground. What has been done there? We need to have academies. We need to have under-15 and under-20 cricketers come out of these academies. If we have, say, 20 academies where players play with each other, the top players could be picked for state teams. And in the future we want to have an ICL team that plays against international teams as well. And a Pakistan team. How are you going to do this? Has there been any progress towards this? Oh definitely. We have about 84-90 players. So out of this we take the best players and we can give anyone a run for their money. There's no doubt about it. And the hard part would be actually getting a match. Definitely. It's like Bangladesh or Sri Lanka [images] coming in. It's not going to be an overnight success. It will take some time. But I can already see some 15 players who are ready to play at the top level. They just never got a chance to play. There are guys like Abbas, the Badanis � he played a bit � R Satish, Mortaza, Abhishek Jhunjuhnwala. I think they're all good quality players. This is pretty long term. You've got three year contracts for everyone. So the contracts are being extended? It's been only five months. Yes, we've given them two year contracts and a third one as well. Let's see how it goes. It's on a performance basis too, which we'll monitor. A lot of what you're doing is political. Do you think the right BCCI candidate could open the door for you? I hope so. In the end the truth will prevail. We're not trying to fool around. We're here to play cricket. Otherwise guys like Sachin Dholpure would never have been seen on television. He was a good quality player. He didn't get a chance to play for Madhya Pradesh. Now he's getting a chance here, and he's proving himself. So that's what we're saying: We're here now, and it's their call. We're not saying we'll get involved in Ranji Trophy or Test cricket, and we're not asking for MS Dhoni [images] or Sachin Tendulkar [images]. We haven't got any Indian superstar players. We never approached anyone. So our way is very clear. We're not clashing with any events. And not even clashing with county cricket. We're fighting against the odds, so it's not that easy. How've they made life difficult for you? I think banning players was difficult. Especially for these players. I feel bad that these players could not get other playing opportunities. If you compare ICL and IPL, what's wrong with it? It's just that one is supported by the BCCI. You had said in May last year that the ICL was an opportunity, and that the BCCI should not be threatened by it. And this year Kapil Dev [images] said that the ICL would break the BCCI's monopoly. Now that's a real change in tone. So the thinking has changed? The only thing we can do is show people that we can organize tournaments with class. The fact is that there are many people who want to come and play for ICL. We've got Australians, Pakistanis, and more and more people want to join us. The next tournament will give you a lot of surprises. Rahul Bhatia, a former correspondent with Cricinfo, is currently on sabbatical to work on a book on his favorite subject -- cricket. Rahul will file regular reports/features/interviews for Rediff during the ICL tournament. More of him here. (http://grch.wordpress.com/)

[beetle]

Nice win by the Kolkatta team......against the mumbai team...

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"ICL is misunderstood" - Lara Lara says the ICC and cricket boards should hear the wake-up call from T20 leagues. Lara tell more to Anand Vasu in a candid talk. More... "ICL is misunderstood" Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times New Delhi, March 12, 2008 First Published: 22:56 IST(12/3/2008) Last Updated: 23:03 IST(12/3/2008) Brian Lara 's out of cricket at the moment with an injured wrist but chances are you wouldn't have watched him playing even if he was fit, unless you went across to the Tau Devi Lal stadium in Panchkula. Why is one of the world's best unable to play with and against the likes of Tendulkar and Warne. In Delhi as brand ambassador for Angostura, Lara took time off to chat with a few journalists. What was your experience of playing in the ICL last year like? It was not a very good experience. I didn't score too many runs. This was compounded by the fact that I was injured and no-one knew about it. I had a torn muscle in my shoulder. But it was something I had committed myself to long before. It was the first time they ran the tournament and there were many obstacles. People may not have understood the ICL's agenda. Maybe they have not made that very clear. I'm not living in India so I don't know all the facts. But the fact of the matter is that young Indian cricketers are playing with international stars and that's good for the game. I know there's trouble on the horizon and things have been confrontational but I'm not going to get into that because I don't understand the mechanics of it very well. Twenty20 cricket is the rage all around the world now. You've played a lot of Test and ODI cricket. Do you think playing the shortest version of the game is the best way to go for young cricketers? I'm very happy to have played as many Tests as I have because I don't think it's ever going to be the same in the future. For me as a young man, exercising my talent and expressing myself on the field, that was the stage I wanted to perform on. In saying that you can't take anything away from Twenty20. This is the twentieth century and this is a format for the times. It brings in a different sort of crowd and there's no cricket game that lasts this length of time – three-and-a-half hours. I appreciate the fact that it brings something to the table. It depends on what young cricketers want – if they're into Test cricket then it might be a bit difficult for them because they're two totally different games and you can't marry the two. Twenty20 is a spectacle and we have to live with it because it's going to evolve into something bigger. Did you watch the India-Australia series at all? Watched a little bit. I thought India played really well in the Tests and the one-dayers. It shows that they're growing as a team. They changed Test captains from Rahul Dravid to Anil Kumble recently and Dhoni is only new in the job. But two major victories – the Twenty20 World Cup and now this ODI triseries win in Australia – can only be good for Indian cricket. Most importantly, my watchword to India would be that when you are on top of the game that's the time you have to do the most homework. You have to go back and do what you can because people will be gunning for you. When Australia come to India next don't think they're going to be timid and accept the fact that they've been beaten by India. They're going to come strong, looking for revenge. For Dhoni and Kumble the hard work is just starting because only then there'll be any continuity in success. As long as you make that impression on the world, that you're taking your game to different levels, people will target you. I'm very happy with the results. I knew that Buchannan made a mistake by lighting a fire under Sachin. You don't say something to a player like that before a series starts and get away with it. So I was very proud of what Sachin did. But that was expected. As soon as I saw those words I knew he was going to be up for the challenge. Shouldn't Brian Lara be playing with the Tendulkars and the Warnes in the best stadia in India, in the best league, rather than in an unknown ground in Panchkula? That's what I'm accustomed to. But it's a situation that I find myself in and it's unavoidable. Hopefully good sense will prevail. People are injecting a lot of cash into the game with both leagues, the ICL and the IPL. At the end of the day you don't want to see anybody lose their shirt. The fact of the matter is that it's just a game, cricket. It comes with a lot of politics but if Lara's playing or whoever is playing you want to get out there on the best stage and express yourself without any of the outside influences. With lucrative Twenty20 leagues popping up around the world, some boards – West Indies and New Zealand for example – have raised concerns that these leagues are drawing away from the game … Drawing away from the monopoly the boards had over their players? If you ask a New Zealand cricketer what his financial terms are with his country you'll realise that the IPL and ICL are good avenues. People need to wake up to the fact that there are options. That's what life is all about, having options and exercising those choices. I don't blame anyone for developing a league. Stanford was not under the WICB in its first year but since it has come under the official umbrella. Let's see what happens in India with the leagues. Equally let's see what the boards do in countries like New Zealand. I've played Test matches in New Zealand where there are two men and a dog watching while next door there are 60,000 people watching a Rugby game. So the NZC have to get their act together and make sure they keep their cricketers. They need to develop that financial stability. You can't blame a young man for going out there and seeking to make a living for himself and his family. Will this then work as a wake-up call for some boards? That's what it has done. The boards are being challenged in different areas and now they have to be on their toes and have to mind their Ps and Qs. Three-four years ago in India and other places you had problems between the boards and the players when it came to player rights and contracts. Now you have a different situation with the franchising of teams and private entities getting directly involved with cricket. It's a red light for the International Cricket Council and also various home boards. Let's see how they react. The choice of playing where they want, going to the highest bidder for that they're actually worth, increases player power, doesn't it? As long as there are opportunities and your services can be utilised in different directions then you're going to be a wanted player. If something's happening in the middle of a domestic season in West Indies and players are going off to play in a league in India that's because there are opportunities. In a way it does give the player more power but I don't know if that's the right word. In soccer there are so many leagues, and you could be playing in England one day and the next day in Spain and there's no stigma there. The most important thing for cricket is that international cricket and first-class cricket have to meet at the same level. That's when cricket will become strong. And leagues like this will help that. The disparity between international cricket and domestic cricket is so huge and you had a monopoly situation where you had to playing for Trinidad and then West Indies – or India or Australia – to be actually worth anything. Now they're bridging the gap and players have more opportunities.

[f.b.m]

you can't take anything away from Twenty20. This is the twentieth century and this is a format for the times.

Did he really say that?

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Has Brian Lara quit the ICL? The former West Indies captain fractured his left arm in a Carib Beer game when he was struck by a delivery by Lionel Baker. The injury, sustained on January 20, was expected to heal in six weeks, but the Mumbai Champs' physiotherapist, Danny Redrup, said progress had been slow. More... Has Brian Lara quit the ICL? Rahul Bhatia March 14, 2008 15:42 IST Last Updated: March 14, 2008 16:38 IST Indian Cricket League officials privately believe that Brian Lara [images], the prized signing last year, has chosen not to participate any further in the league. Lara fractured his left arm in a Carib Beer game when he was struck by a delivery by Lionel Baker. The injury, sustained on January 20, was expected to heal in six weeks, but the Champs' physiotherapist, Danny Redrup, said that progress had been slow. Internally, three tournament organisers from different departments, at different levels, hinted at there being more to Lara's absence than statements explained. Asked if Lara was not returning, a senior executive said, "No [he isn't]. I hope he goes to the IPL. We don't need him here." Lara was named captain of the Mumbai Champs for the opening tournament of the league in December, but managed only 31, ending with an average of 6.2. In his absence, Nathan Astle has been named captain of the side. Rahul Bhatia, a former Cricinfo and Mint correspondent, will file regular reports / features/interviews for Rediff during the ICL tournament. More of him here: http://grch.wordpress.com / http://grch.wordpress.com

[Cricketics]

i saw his interview yesterday on ndtv. he was saying that he had this injury and doctor had told him to not to play cricket for 6 weeks.. hence he is not featuring in this ICl tourney.. otherwise would have played then the the Ndtv reporter asked him - "do u feel now that u took decision too early about ICL and now u regret it seeing most of the other players are signing for IPL?" to this, he gave a totally different answer and said - "i wish both leagues good luck."

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Lollywood star buys stake in ICL team Pakistani actor Moammar Rana is the latest to jump in the cricket bandwagon, buying a stake in the Lahore Badshahs ICL team. More... Lollywood star Momi buys stake in Lahore Badshahs Press Trust Of India New Delhi, April 01, 2008 First Published: 12:45 IST(1/4/2008) Last Updated: 12:58 IST(1/4/2008) Buying stakes in Twenty20 teams seems in vogue for the actors and after Mithun Chakraborty, it's the turn of popular Pakistani tinsel town star Moammar Rana, also known as Momi, to jump onto the bandwagon. The Indian Cricket League (ICL) today announced that the Pakistani actor will have a stake in ICL's Lahore Badshahs team and would promote the side both in India and Pakistan. Earlier, Mithun had bought stake in Kolkata Tigers. "I am delighted to see the Lahore Badshahs perform so well and entertain millions of cricket fans. I am looking forward to be working with the Lahore Badshahs team with stalwarts like Inzamam, Moin Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed, to take the Badshahs to the next level in cricket," the actor said in a statement. "I am sure, that my fans will support my team Lahore Badshahs," he added. Incidentally, the BCCI-backed Indian Premier League (IPL) has also seen actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla (Kolkata Knight Riders), Preity Zinta (King's XI Punjab) buying franchisees. Kapil Dev, Chairman of ICL's Executive Board welcomed Momi and said, "After our association with the living legend, Mithun Chakraborty, this is the latest development at ICL. The Lahore Badshahs have been a critical factor in getting an overwhelming response for the Edelweiss 20s Challenge. "The Badshahs are arguably one of the best sides in the word and deserve all the support from their increasing home fan base. With Momis huge fan following in Pakistan, I am sure the popularity of the Lahore Badshahs will reach unprecedented levels across the sub-continent," he said. Momi became a popular actor after the success of 'Deewane Tere Pyar Ke', 'Choorian' and 'Nikki Jai Haan'. His other hit movie is 'Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua'. His recent film 'Koi Tujh Sa Kahan' has also been termed successful. The Pakistani actor also appeared in a 2004 Indo-Pak venture, 'Dobara', alongside Mahima Chaudhary and Jackie Shroff.