Former India captain Kapil Dev admits he will be nervous prior to the start of tomorrow’s Indian Cricket League because, in his own words, the event is a baby he has helped father.

	Positive: Kapil Dev feels people have the wrong impression of ICL

Since its inception the ICL has met with obstacles, most notably the Board of Control for Cricket in India, who view the competition as one that is raping the country of ‘their’ revenue streams. They instructed players, administrators, sponsors and even the media to have nothing to do with it.

The BCCI then announced their own version, the Indian Premier League, only this event is sanctioned by the International Cricket Council and just about any body that is deemed ‘official’. The ICL has been painted as the black sheep of world cricket.

The negativity has not deterred West Indies batting great Brian Lara, Pakistan World Cup winner Inzamam-ul-Haq and a slew of fringe or fading England players like Darren Maddy, who will play for Calcutta Tigers.

Kapil feels people have the wrong impression of the ICL, similar to when Kerry Packer unveiled the World Series Cup in the late Seventies.

“ICL is our baby and we are hoping everything goes off well,” Kapil said. “It’s not the black sheep of cricket.Was Kerry Packer the black sheep of cricket? That was a good thing that happened and this is also a good thing.

“We are giving jobs to hundreds of cricketers, administrators, television people, umpires. How can it be wrong to give jobs to people? Are we not promoting cricket? Are we not putting money into the game? If I thought we were spoiling the game I would walk out.”

Delhi Jets and Chandigarh Lions will launch the ICL at a ground in Panchkula, near Chandigarh, converted from a football venue in six weeks.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik is doubtful for the second Test against India, starting on Friday in Calcutta, after failing to recover from an ankle injury.

Malik twisted his ankle during a soccer game after his side’s defeat in the first Test. Team-mate Shoaib Akhtar was yesterday recovering well from a viral infection and fast bowler Umar Gul is on the mend from his back injury.

Steve Elworthy, the former South Africa seam bowler, has been chosen as tournament director for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England and Wales.

Walk into the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula and you’d think a rock concert is about to hit town. Volunteers go about their work in a relaxed atmosphere - light towers being set up, temporary stands erected, lawn-mowers puffing away - and it’s tough to miss a big dais mounted at the end of the ground. Listen carefully and names of Bollywood actresses like Kareena Kapoor and Yana Gupta, and pop groups like Band of Boys float in the air.

However, cricket tournaments, especially massively-hyped, apparently path-breaking, ones like the Indian Cricket League, deserve better. The stadium is too small - almost like one used for college games - and the outfield dangerously patchy. The organisers prefer to take refuge in the “weather hampering our plans” line but that couldn’t have been true for seven months.

The vibes, though, are all gung-ho. Sandeep Patil, the former Indian middle-order batsman currently coaching the Mumbai Champs, says it’s a “miracle” that the stadium has been ready in 28 days and adds, “its the same outfield for all teams”. Himanshu Modi, the ICL business head, is also upbeat. “We kept in mind many things while building the stadium. We needed to make allowance for scaling it up later. It’s an architecturally well-designed stadium.”

Late in the afternoon, Brian Lara, clothed in a garish orange Mumbai Champs suit, walked onto the outfield, one which was being treated with urea and other fertilisers. There was some doubt over Lara’s participation in the tournament, with the talk of him shifting to the BCCI’s Indian Premier League. Modi, however, laughed off these suggestions. “The reason I kept quiet was that I know our friends [BCCI] were trying to reach him out. I was having a daily laugh with him on the phone. And they tried whatever they could but a contract is a contract. And people want to honour it.”

This isn’t Modi’s first run-in with the Indian board. In fact what irks some in the ICL camp is the board’s interference with every step. “How will you feel if someone was constantly stopping you from doing something interesting?” says Erapalli Prasanna, the former Indian offspinner who’s currently a match referee at this tournament.

Modi says the BCCI’s actions only endorse the good work that the ICL is doing. “It’s almost like they’re saying, ‘What they do, we will also follow’. We did ICL, they did IPL. They are endorsing our own format. We keep getting these individual comments in the press - from Rajeev Shukla, Lalit Modi, IS Bindra, Niranjan Shah - but officially from the BCCI has ICL got a letter till date? Not one. Have I written letters to them? Yes, three. I’ve not got a single official reply signed from their secretary. We’re just asking them to take an official stance. Officially our members have heard only from their state associations. Like the Cricket Association of Bengal not allowing entry into their stadium etc. But nothing from the BCCI.”

A few fans mill about near the impressive practice area, most waiting to get a glimpse of Lara. He has a few knocks against throw-downs from Rajesh Chauhan, the former Indian offspinner. “We’ve had a positive response to ticket sales,” said Modi, hoping that the presence of international stars will attract an audience. “I’m sure the response will only get better because people who come for the first game will see the Bollywood entertainment that is planned.

“We’ve invited filmstars, politicians and other VIPs. The Haryana chief minister is the chief guest on the opening day. He will be addressing the audience. Kareena Kapoor will be dancing too. Yana Gupta is scheduled to perform on one of the days. We’ll have our Sa Re Ga Ma Pa stars (winners of the television reality show) too. The Band of Boys will play almost every day.”

There promises to be some entertaining cricket shows as well. One of the members of the commentary team, former Australian left-arm bowler Mike Whitney, said he might be moving around in the crowd and “having a bit of fun chatting to the spectators”.

Modi makes no qualms about entertainment being their USP. “It’s like our singing contests. We make money out if it but provide singers with a platform to showcase their talents. We hope the cricketers take the chance.” At the end of it all Modi and team will hope they can turn around to the spectators and repeat what Lara asked on the day he retired: “Did I entertain you?” In the answer may lie the success or failure of this tournament.

Chandigarh :  The opening ceremony of the Indian Cricket League Twenty20 Cricket Championship on Friday promises to be a spectacular show. The event, to be held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula will see performances by filmstars like Kareena Kapoor, Yana Gupta, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar just before the first match between Chandigarh Lions and Delhi Jets.

Also flying in to attend the gala will be Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group owner Anil Ambani, Union Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav and industrialist Shashi Ruia. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will be the chief guest for the occasion.

Essel Group’s Executive Vice-President Ashish Kaul said the tournament will be kicked off with performances by Kareena Kapoor and Yana Gupta.

Then there will be daily appearances by music group Band of Boys, dancing cheerleaders, tattoo artists, mehndi artists, face painters, karaoke singers, magicians, stick walkers and dhol artists.

Master at work
When the legendary Brian Lara took to the nets he made his intentions very clear. He was out there to bat like a champion. Lara displayed class cricket while batting at the nets.

Students’ favourite
Besides practicing at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, teams like Chandigarh Lions, Delhi Jets and Hyderabad Heroes also had practice sessions at the DC Model School grounds in Panchkula. Young cricket fans cheered the players. Hyderabad Heroes emerged as the most popular side among youngsters.
As soon as the practice session ended, the team members were surrounded by students for autograph.

All set for the D-Day
With just a day to go for the start of the ICL Cricket Championship, the stadium was all decked up for the occasion. Floodlights have been installed, stands are in position and the stadium has an all new pitch.

Venturing out
Players like Harmish Marshall, Hemang Badani, Ambati Rayadu and JP Yadav went out to the Sector 10 market opposite Hotel Mountview, where they are staying.
They were seen enjoying milk shake at one of the shops in the market.

Chandigarh : Friday, Nov 30, will be a day to remember in Indian cricket history. That’s the day when the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) gets down to the business end and hosts its first ‘carnival like’ Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Quite a few big guns are here, many of them have just retired from international cricket. They will make Chandigarh their home for the next three weeks. And what’s more, the city will also be the focus for the global cricketing community as all cricket fans will be eager to see how the ICL unfolds.

The star cast cobbled up is impressive. There is Lara, who holds some of the most well-known batting world records including a Test match score of 400 runs not out; former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and his team-mates, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and discarded opening batsmen Taufeeq Omar and Imran Farhat; former Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu, New Zealanders Nathan Astle; Craig Macmillan and Chris Cairns, South Africans Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje and Andrew Hall; Australian Stuart Law. They will all be part of the six club teams named after six major cities.

The tournament, being organized at the Tau Devi Lal sports complex’s cricket stadium in the adjoining town of Panchkula in Haryana, 15 km from here, will test the staying power of the ICL as it takes on the mighty cash-rich Indian Cricket Board.

The Board has already labelled the ICL as a ‘rebel’ league. Its affiliated units have refused their grounds for the ICL. Players and sponsors were dissuaded from associating with the rebels.

The six participating teams comprise Delhi Jets led by Marvan Atapattu, Chandigarh Lions by Chris Cairns, Hyderabad Heroes by Inzamam-ul-Haq, Chennai Superstars by Stuart Law, Kolkata Tigers by Craig Macmillan and Mumbai Champs by Brian Lara.

Besides five international stars in each team, other players will be India discards like Dinesh Mongia, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, J P Yadav and others. The teams will also have many young Indian players. There was an exodus of players from Hyderabad and Punjab.

There are nearly 30 international stars in the line up of 100 cricket players for the first tournament.

The first 20-overs-a-side match will be between hosts Chandigarh Lions and Delhi Jets Friday.

Matches will be played on 13 days in the 17-day tournament. On weekends, there will be two matches. Most matches are in the afternoon and evenings.

The stadium at Panchkula, leased to ICL for 10 years with full backing of the Haryana government, was still being given finishing touches Wednesday even as the players descended at the venue for some practice. New stands have been erected, brand new floodlights are in place and the pavilion and media centre are being readied for the first big event by the ICL.

ICL’s chief executive Ashish Kaul told IANS that his organisation does not need either the Indian Board’s recognition or their money. “We will put up a good show here and will do it even better next time.”

To back its claim, the Zee television network - a company of the ICL promoter Essel group - has taken an unprecedented decision to show 30 minutes of every match live on 25 of its channels during the tournament. The complete live transmission of all T-20 matches will be done on Zee Sports channel.

The Essel Group, which announced ICL April this year, has already promised a pool of Rs. 1 billion for their league.

“The coming of ICL into cricket has meant financial security for young players. Now they need not bother about financial security while playing cricket,” former Pakistan skipper Inzamam said here.

ICL chairman Kapil Dev, an Indian cricket legend who captained India’s only world cup winning performance in 1983, says that the first ICL tournament will be full of entertainment for cricket lovers.

“It is our baby and if there are any shortcomings, we will learn from this tournament. But we are serious about cricket. It will be a carnival out there,” Kapil said.

Aamir, Akshay and Kareena add to glamour ICL

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is conceived as package of cricket and entertainment and nothing can add more punch to an evening of fun and frolic than the presence of film stars.

The ICL, a venture of Essel Group, will have a touch of glamour when their Twenty20 tournament gets under way at the 7,000-capacity Tau Devi Lal Stadium in nearby Panchkula, Friday.

The organisers have roped in filmstars Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and others to be here during the tournament. Top industrialist Anil Ambani is also expected to be here.

Among the popular cricketing names present for the tournament here, though not as players, are former Australian Michael Bevan, who is coach of the Chennai Superstar team to be led by fellow-Australian Stuart Law. Former Indian batsman and coach Sandeep Patil, who is the coach for Mumbai Champs and his one-time team-mate Madan Lal, will coach Delhi Jets.

FORMER WEST Indies captain and batting superstar Brian Lara touched down on Sunday and his first stroke was to make a clarion call for recognition of the controversial Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Lara ended much speculation when he arrived in India as the most high-profile recruit of the ICL which has failed to receive official sanction from the Indian board which has threatened players with lengthy bans.

“The reaction from the established cricket bodies was along the expected lines but I was still disappointed,” he said.

“The problems faced by the ICL are similar to those faced by Sir Allen Stanford when he came up with his idea in the West Indies which has now been accepted by the West Indies board.

“The intentions are quite honourable and I hope down the line people (official cricket bodies) will understand what this league is about and accept it,” he said. Lara, Test cricket’s highest runscorer and holder of records for the highest Test and first-class innings, is looking forward to the start of the ICL in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh on Friday.

Committed to the ICL

“I could not come earlier because of some personal things which needed to be sorted out, but I have always been committed to play in the ICL after signing up in June,” Lara said at a news conference staged at the Western Railway stadium.

“I am looking forward to playing in the league with the Mumbai Champs team (which he will be leading). I would love to play alongside the young players from India who may not have had the opportunity to play with me and other international players.

“Twenty20 is a very exciting game and is fun. It has given the authorities a chance to take the game to places not familiar with cricket.”

Lara will join England’s Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Darren Maddy and Vikram Solanki, Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul Haq, Sri Lanka’s Maravan Atapattu and New Zealand’s Chris Cairns in playing in the six-team rebel league.

The league is fronted by India legend Kapil Dev and bankrolled by Zee Telefilms media organisation, but the International Cricket Council, cricket’s world governing body, has also refused to acknowledge the competition.