Like sentinels at the gate, the Shivalik foothills stood as passive observers to the frantic activity underway at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium. They must have seen the race against time to feather the bed for latest baby in the form of Indian Cricket League (ICL) to arrive on India’s cricket firmament in less than 24 hours.

Gangs of workers, television crew, ground staff, ICL top brass and all those who are part of the show had the same anxiety writ on their faces as expecting parents have in the hospital corridors. Yet, they had certain jauntiness in their demeanour that comes from defying the diktats of the Big Brother.

The ground on which the Twenty20 ICL games will be played is still bumpy in a few places; patches of bald earth peeped thorough the carpet of grass in a few areas, fine dust swirled in the air when the lawn mower was brought to the work. But in the midst of all this, former India wicketkeeper and executive board member of ICL, Kiran More, painted a picture of quite confidence.

“By 5 pm on the November 30 evening, everything will be in place. If not, then you can go ahead and criticise us for failing to deliver. But that won’t happen. Even the dust will settle and the ground will be in perfect condition for cricket,” More said.

Right through the day, six teams had sessions in the two nets besides the ground. The last to come were the Mumbai Champs, led by the legendary Brian Lara. After the quick inspection of the wicket and the ground, they went for regular practice under the watchful eyes of coach Sandeep Patil.

The arrival of Lara must have been a huge relief for the men behind this idea, especially after the gossip mills adding grist to the talk of the West Indian jumping ship in light Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s unabashed courting of the genius for their proposed IPL.

At every turn the BCCI, though not officially but through its powerful mandarins making isolated statements in different parts of the country has never missed an opportunity to run down the ICL.

What the big-men of Indian cricket said is a matter of interpretation depending on which side of the fence a person is standing. Perhaps, one thing they might have got right is the tag of ‘rebel’ that has been bandied about ICL. To think of it, the league has come to acquire life, which was just a mere footnote in Zee Network’s television rights bid document in 2005, by tapping into the disillusionment of backstage cricketers with the system. Mumbai Champs’ coach Sandeep Patil provides an interesting insight into this particular dimension of cricket ad- League Countdown ministration.

“I waited for the BCCI to give a suitable job to serve Indian cricket. Twice I had written to the BCCI president, Sharad Pawar, expressing my interest to be a coach of the India A side. I was assured a two-year contract, but after waiting for almost one-and-ahalf year, nothing came of it. That’s the time when the ICL offer came my way. Since I wasn’t doing anything, I had to take it up.”

Patil says. “In the last 20 years of coaching, I have been in-charge of Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Kenya, Oman, India under-19 and India A. So I have got a fair amount of experience for the job.”

But with the board making clear that the doors of Indian cricket has been shut on all those who have decided to go with the latest baby in town, Patil, however, prefers to take an optimistic approach to the contagious issue.

“If everything goes well, BCCI and ICL will patch-up. If not today, then tomorrow BCCI may do a rethink on the issue. After all, ICL is not trying to put up a parallel board, it’s just a platform for the next stars. Didn’t the Kerry Packer series started similarly, but see what it did. It changed the face of cricket,” he says.

Will BCCI and ICL shake hands is a matter in which only future holds the key, but for the time being everyone, those who have a stake in the idea as well has those who look upon it as an upstart trying to tip the applecart, will be eagerly looking forward to see if this baby walks or tips over as it gets ready to take the first step.

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 : 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.

Stage is set for the Indian Cricket League’s (ICL) Twenty20 tournament to take off from November 30 in Chandigarh with a host of former international stars promising to add spice to the rebel series.

The tournament, which is spread over two weeks, will have Delhi Jets taking on Chandigarh Lions in the inaugural match at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula.

Besides these two teams, Mumbai Champs will be led by legendary Brian Lara while other teams Kolkata Tigers, Chennai Superstars and Hyderabad Heroes will be vying for a place in the semi finals of the tournament, which will have a round-robin format.

Apart from Lara, the other top players to watch out for will be former Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu, who will be captaining the Delhi Jets team, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Dinesh Mongia, Lance Klusener, Imran Farhat, Nicky Boje, Vikram Solanki, Paul Nixon, Hamish Marshall, Andrew Hall and Daryl Tuffey.

There are a host of domestic cricket stars as well which will form part of each team along with the former international ones. The teams would be reaching here tomorrow after taking part in several practice matches at different venues.

Final touches are being given to around 7,000 capacity stadium in Haryana’s Panchkula, where flood lights are being installed for the mega event.

Though tickets for the event have been moderately priced at Rs 100 for a single match and Rs 150 for two matches on the same day, the response from the fans has been lukewarm.

ICL Executive Board chairman Kapil Dev said, “we are keeping our fingers crossed. At the moment, we are excited and nervous. ICL is our baby and we are hoping everything goes off well.”

A concern at the stadium would be the outfield, which tends to be a bit slow, but Kapil said everything will be
taken care of before the tournament starts. 

The pavillion building is being upgraded to include individual lockers and dressing room for players, umpires and match officials while a hi-tech broadcast studio is also being readied.

ICL, an Essel Group venture, has taken the stadium on a 10-year lease from the Haryana Government. Executive Vice president of the Essel (Zee) Group, Ashish Kaul said in addition to the live broadcast of the tournament on Zee Sports, they would also try to have live feed on regional channels owned by the media conglomerate.

The event will have commentators like Tony Greig, Dean Jones, Pat Symcox, Jeffery Thomson, Mike Whitney and Ayaz Memon.

What made you join the ICL ?
It was a big challenge and an opportunity for me. I have never played enough T20 cricket. So, I just thought of challenging myself and my cricketing abilities. I want to continue playing cricket for another 2-3 years and maximize my talent. I also thought that the ICL would be an ideal opportunity to give back to the game.

What are your views on the various cricket boards’ stand on the ICL ?
I don’t think ICL should be blocked. It’s provides a great opportunity to cricketers, young and old to improve on their abilities. If we call cricket a career, one should not be denied a chance to earn. Imposing sanctions on the ICL would be unfortunate, as you tend to stop income/revenue, exposure and the experience of playing with the top cricketers.

What made you retire all of a sudden ?
It was not a sudden decision I made. I always had a fair idea of when I should retire. I did not want to hang around in a system I didn’t believe in and also, give opportunities to newer talent in Sri Lanka. And, half-way through my innings at Hobart, I knew that it was coming.

Did you retire out of frustration?
No. If I was frustrated, I would have left half-way through the World Cup.

What are your post-retirement plans ?
As I said, I want to continue playing cricket for the next 2-3 years, wherever it be. I will finish this tournament and then leave for Australia to play club cricket and also in the English summer, where I am scheduled to turn out for Lashings XI. Apart from that, I am in initial talks with Channel Nine over a commentary stint during the Triangular ODI Series in Feb 2008. I want to be involved with cricket for as long as I could.

You and John Dyson were instrumental in grooming Mahela as an international captain. Now that he is in the hot seat, what do you think about his captaincy ?
Mahela is doing well as a captain. It is always difficult for any captain to tour Australia. He has been growing into a really strong captain, with a great back-up in Kumar Sangakkara. 

With the Golden Generation of Sri Lankans in their swansong, how difficult is it going to be for SL Cricket to replace them ?
It wont be easy. We have enough, if not more talent. But what is the use of having a lot of talent and not giving them enough opportunities ? We need to give them enough chances to establish themselves in the international level. And, you got to know what your future is. 

What do you think about the state of school cricket in Sri Lanka ?
It was our feeder system to international cricket. But, since they have changed the rules, the school system has suffered. Since that happened, the game suffered and no good player coming through. The last batsman who genuinely broke through the schools was Farveez Maharoof. But I hope that they go back to the original system, else its just going down.

What about the selectors’ remark ? Do you stand by it ?
Yes. I stand by whatever I said. If anyone feels that I have said something wrong, why don’t they come up and let me know. I made that statement for the betterment of Sri Lankan cricket. I can only hope that the authorities were listening to what I said. I genuinely feel for the game in the country, and that’s why I said what I had to.

What was the best innings you ever played ?
In one-dayers, I think the 132 not out at Lords in the Emirates Cup Final has to be right up there. It was indeed my best one-day knock. As far as tests are concerned, I’d pick the 200+ I scored against Pakistan at Kandy, simply because it came against the best fast bowlers at that time.

How do you look to give back to the game?
I want to give something back to the game, and Sri Lanka would be an ideal starting point. After all the game has given me everything that I am today.

Any regrets ?
No. Not at all. I have lived a perfect cricketer’s life. Started off with five ducks in 6 innings and then to get 6 double hundreds was just great. I have to say I have been very lucky to represent my country for over 15 years.Very few coveted ones get that opportunity.