IPL teams can trade players next year: Modi

[Sachinism]

New Delhi: IPL franchises will be able to trade players early next year ahead of the 2009 season, Lalit Modi, Chairman of the hugely successful tournament disclosed on Sunday. "There will be a transfer window open early next year just ahead of the 2009 season to enable franchises trade players and bring in the ones they require," he confirmed. Stating that he had been "overwhelmed" by the success of the Twenty20 competition, Modi also disclosed that certain innovations would be introduced in the tournament. "One of the innovation to be introduced next year would be orange neon ball. This would, however, depend on how successful the trials of the same are," he said. "This year we already introduced the Orange and Purple Cap innovations and the Kingfisher Team Fair Play award and will look at continuing with this tradition of innovation in the subsequent leagues," he added. Modi said the second season of IPL was not possible before the 2011 ODI World Cup, to be co-hosted by the Asian cricketing nations. "The second season as of now is a very distant possibility and will not take place definitely until after the 2011 World Cup given the FTP commitments of the Test playing nations and India. "By then, I firmly believe, IPL would have already established itself as a major event and carved a niche for itself on the international cricketing calendar." "Importantly, though when the second season does materialise in the future it will not be a full-fledged season like the recently concluded inaugural season. It could, for instance, be a knock-out league or a format which we will evolve in due course of time." Modi also made it clear that IPL was India's domestic event and could not be co-hosted by two countries like India and Pakistan. "No, the IPL is, as the name suggests, a domestic cricket league, featuring the best of international and Indian talent. It will not be co-hosted in conjunction with any other country. "I am certain that the success of the league will spawn a whole host of similar leagues around the world. Once that happens, it would be our endeavor to see that top two teams from each of the countries play in the Champions League, along the lines of the one being played in football currently." On the success of IPL, Modi said it was beyond his expectations. "To say that the inaugural season of the IPL has exceeded my expectations and those of the BCCI would, to simply put it, be an understatement," Modi said. "I have been truly overwhelmed by the success of the Indian Premier League. In fact, the global response to the competition has been simply unbelievable, to say the least. "The IPL has gained large viewerships in Australia, South Africa, South East Asia, the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) and the Americas." The inaugural edition of IPL, contested by eight teams non-stop for 44 days and telecast live by a private television channel during the prime time, gripped the cricket lovers, reportedly exceeding the popularity of TV serials and Bollywood films. "Not to mention the TRPs that we have garnered in India which are quite frankly staggering to say the least. The success of the league is further exemplified in the Set Max's revenue market share of the top nine Hindi entertainment channels," Modi said. "And all this because we have had some of the best cricketers from around the world... frankly I could not have envisaged a more successful inaugural season than this year," he added. "Imagine the likes of Swapnil Asnodkar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Niraj Patel, Abhishek Nayyar (state-level players) and Yusuf Pathan getting mobbed by fans for their performances in the league." On the revenue did BCCI generate though the IPL, Modi, also the Cricket Board President, said he had not information on that. "I don't know the exact nature of revenue the IPL has generated for the BCCI as of now…However, we have at all junctures through out the IPL process attempted to be as transparent as possible in terms of the financials and so have communicated these publicly at all time and so you could also do some back of the cuff calculations to derive a number," he said. .

[Sachinism]

PL teams to get first pick on players - Modi Franchises from the Indian Premier League will get first priority over players for the proposed Champions League, and any team that fields a cricketer from the unofficial Indian Cricket League will be automatically disqualified from the international Twenty20 competition, Lalit Modi, the chairman of IPL, has said. However, Modi told Cricinfo that the Champions League was "still a long way away" and what has been agreed upon by various boards so far is "only an in-principle agreement" to host such an event. "The venues have not been decided, the dates are still open and we are trying to host the event this year," Modi said. The England and Wales Cricket Board had on Saturday issued a press release which said that the ECB, Cricket Australia, the BCCI and Cricket South Africa had "reached an agreement for the staging of the inaugural Champions League this autumn" for a top prize of US$ 5 million. However, Modi said he would be able to provide a clear picture only after the BCCI's working committee discusses the issue during a meeting scheduled on June 22. Asked about the Champions League's regulations, Modi, who is also a vice-president of the BCCI, said that "it had been clearly resolved earlier" that the IPL franchises would get priority over cricketers in their team. But the franchises will have to pay a "relieving fees" to the player's state team if both have qualified for the event, he said. Elaborating on the case of Michael Hussey, who is caught between Western Australia and Chennai Super Kings for the Champions League, Modi said, "In the case of Michael Hussey, Chennai Super Kings has the option to keep him and pay a relieving fees to Western Australia. The option is with Super Kings." However, players like David Hussey, whose IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders, failed to qualify for the Champions League, will have to play for Victoria, he said. "In case of David Hussey, he has to play for his home team if his IPL team has not qualified. If his home team has qualified, which it has, then he plays for them. The county option is his third fall back," Modi said. Modi also clarified that "any ICL player playing for any team automatically disqualifies that team from participating" in the Champions League. "No exceptions will be made under any circumstances," Modi said. Currently, about 24 ICL players have been signed up to play for various English counties - the top two Twenty20 teams from England will join Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from India, the Titans from Pretoria and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins representing South Africa and Western Australia and Victoria from Australia in the Champions League.