The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will meet here this afternoon to unveil its own Twenty20 tournament, starting next year, in a bid to take the sting out of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) event.
New Delhi/Chennai, Sept 13 : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will meet here this afternoon to unveil its own Twenty20 tournament, starting next year, in a bid to take the sting out of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) event.
The announcement is expected to be made by the BCCI President Sharad Pawar. The meeting will be attended by the Cricket Board top brass from India, Australia, England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The BCCI Working Committee, which has refused to give official permission to the ICL to conduct its Twenty20 tournament, will also meet tomorrow to deliberate on the project and ratify it.
It is believed that the project has been in the pipeline for some time.
Meanwhile, Indian captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble are expected to attend a special meeting of the Cricket Board to discuss the player contract issue here today.
ICL Chairman Kapil Dev on Wednesday downplayed the tussle with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) board, saying any competition was healthy for the sport.
"I can only say that if the BCCI is doing something, I am proud and happy. At least, they are endorsing our view, what we are trying to do. And if they do too, it's good. Competition is always welcome. I am happy to know from you people that they are also endorsing our competition Twenty20," said Dev.
"From our side there is no fight, I don't know from their side. We don't want to fight. We just want to have good cricket. Of course, if something good comes out for better for both the people, it will be better for Indian cricket," Dev said in Chennai.Players of the ICL are undergoing training in a privately-owned stadium ahead of the league's inaugural Twenty20 tournament next month with a mix of foreign and domestic cricketers.
The ICL was launched in May by India's Essel Group, which controls the country's listed media firm Zee Telefilms, and plans to stage its inaugural tournament in October with a mix of foreign and domestic cricketers.
It has signed up over fifty players both from India and abroad, including former Indian skipper Kapil Dev, former West Indies captain Brian Lara, Indian batsman Dinesh Mongia, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, batting mainstay Mohammad Yousuf, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and batsman Imran Farhat.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official board has barred players, who have signed up with the ICL.
ANI