Why ICL is important

[coverpoint]

For people who have followed Indian cricket and have gotten increasingly sick of the operations of BCCI, it must have been a boon to see an alternative to the BCCI. Yes the quality is still getting there but I saw enough hope in the ICL to give us something to look forward to. What was the most encouraging about the ICL was how well planned it was. They had to create it despite all the hurdles thrown by the BCCI but they made the tournament go like a charm. How it treated its players too was very encouraging Compare this to how BCCI operates, An important tour like that of Aus and we will go into the first test with a tired team that has been playing non stop for the past few months and to top it off has had 2 sessions of play to get acclimitized to the conditions. And then when the team fails it is going to be the players fault. I wish ICL really comes good and makes the BCCI get a bit more proifessional Nothing like competition

[kabira]

ICL still has to go long way to be consider any threat. They should look to make new innovation, bring new rules, try newer formats (something like 2 innings 20-20).

[fineleg]

CP, Good points. To be frank, the ICL could have been done a lot better. The quality was not there. But the point is we need SOMETHING and ANYTHING that can compete with BCCI. As a monopoly BCCI is as bad as they can get. Hope ICL improves a lot more. But odds are against them.

[coverpoint]

The first game that the BCCI hosted had the crappiest quality too. The point is that the ICL's organization skills have been much better. They have the ability to provide the much needed competition that would make the BCCI shape up. thats why they need to be supported

[msb1991]

The first game that the BCCI hosted had the crappiest quality too. The point is that the ICL's organization skills have been much better. They have the ability to provide the much needed competition that would make the BCCI shape up. thats why they need to be supported

They need to hope that the people like Bose and Gagandeep Singh who have been neglected for fast bowling 'talents' such as VRV Singh and Ishant 'no-ball' Sharma have the guts to shun the BCCI and join the ICL. The ICL's success is mainly down to whether or not, quality players who have not and will not be picked for India join the ICL or are happy to play for their state associations.

[coverpoint]

It is the chicken and the egg. I hope that the quality young names would join icl not only that ... i really hope that some stars .... like sehwag, or tendulkar or dravid once they retire would join icl .... really it needs that boost. Bottom line BCCI needs a competition to keep them honest

[msb1991]

not only that ... i really hope that some stars .... like sehwag' date=' or tendulkar or dravid once they retire would join icl .... really it needs that [b']boost.

Boost is a brilliant word. The ICL needs a catalyst of strong players for a good start, if it is all it is hyped up to be, the brilliant coaching and support staff will groom the next generation of players and if it doesn't, it deserves to fail. I have made a blog entry on the ICL a little while ago: A (positive) rant about the ICL After a brief hiatus, I am back posting my opinionated views about Indian cricket. Now that I feel more informed and am aware more of Indian domestic cricket, I am starting to support the ICL more. The BCCI are pathetic in banning people from their jobs (or making them enforce stricter hours) and from grounds. It perplexes me as to why they did not embrace the idea of grooming Indian talent in parallel to the BCCI tournaments. The idea of feeling threatened is pathetic too because I feel that the original intention of the ICL was a parallel (not a rebel league) and so the BCCI could have supplied grounds and possibly players in exchance for slight control over the league. Reading an article on cricinfo, I have learnt that one state association introduced central contracts of just $500 a year (in rupees of course). For those not familiar of the Indian economy, that will go about as far as $1000 so it is hardly anything. All domestic cricketers have jobs with allowances for cricket in return for playing in company games. This is insane, domestic cricketers should not have jobs outside cricket, they should be able to earn a living from their states and be paid in the winter too, to train and participate in winter training. The whole idea of company games is a bit of a joke too, it just becomes a contest about money and who can hire the best players - where the hell is the pride in that? They might as well just compare turnover figures. The BCCI are among the richest boards in world cricket, they should make sure that domestic cricketers are at least paid contracts of over $5,000 a year. This brings me on to my next point, cricinfo note that the ICL teams are being given access to trainers and physios who are 'streets ahead' of what they would have had in domestic cricket. Can the BCCI not afford quality trainers and physios? I doubt that a quality sports physio such as Liz would not have a fee beyong the unlimited funds of the BCCI. It is just stingyness and lazyness and I support the ICL's committment to quality of cricket. I read a very interesting snippet of an article from cricinfo: "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." With a quick cricinfo search, I figured that these people were, two of: P Kumar - Would have been a fantastic performer in ICL, is a great talent but it would not have been right for him to join ICL since he has been treated well. Joginder Sharma - A great domestic performer, especially in FC cricket (with a bowling average of approx. 20 in Super League games and a batting average hovering around 30). He should play in India As four day games but has not been treated well. India are adament in blooding him in through T20 and ODI and for this reason, he should join the ICL in perhaps one or two years when FC games are being introduced. YK Pathan - A fantastic talent with the bat, with an ability to score at over a run a ball in ODIs and over two runs a ball in T20, he is also a more than handy off spin bowler.

Three great talents, two of whom were thinking about the ICL; the BCCI should take notice and up the standards before it is too late and they will have lost a large chunk of talent. In my opinion, the ICL should look to recruit a slightly higher standard of player. Someone like Balaji who is not likely to play for India again, with the endless fast bowling pool or even Badrinath, who it seems will never get that Test cap, even though he has undoubtably been the best Indian domestic cricketer outside the team for half a decade. The BCCI has had a major kick up the arse and have responded by throwing wads of cash at the Indian Premier League, the ICL should look to hire more abused domestic cricketers and make the BCCI realise that a solution will be complex and (God forbid), require some hard work on the part of the BCCI.