Image via WikipediaThis time Lalit Modi is determined to recruit the big names of English cricket for IPL.
To recap, the ECB has done its utmost to prevent current English players from playing in IPL, saying that the IPL clashed with their domestic season. The first edition of IPL, a hastily arranged affair ran from April 18 to June 1 last year, clashing with not only the county fixtures but also with a couple of Test matches.
Modi had then promised that he is even willing to bring the next edition of IPL forward by a couple of weeks to prevent the clash of dates. In the meanwhile players like Pietersen made pompous statements like they had refused offers from IPL. Once the tournament began the comedy started, with Pietersen himself back tracking and wanting to play and almost all the fringe cricketers making tall claims of receiving offers from IPL.
Despite the changing scenario the ECB remained adamant. Matters came to a head, when the powerful Players Union asked the ECB to allow the players to "take advantage" of the Indian money. This is when the ECB played their master stroke or so they thought. They mooted a new Twenty20 Championship hoping other cricketing nations would take the bait and follow their lead. Unfortunately, their grand design failed because Australia and South Africa stood by IPL.
The ECB had fondly believed that the new Twenty20 Champions League will help keep their flock together. Now that the Championship plans had failed and the Stanford Twenty20 mired in legal wrangles, the English players are ripe for picking.
The astute Modi has identified it as an opportunity to sign up the English players and according to yesterdays reports he going full steam to have them in IPL's payroll.. In fact he is, " certain that the Indian Premier League will definitely see the likes of Flintoff and Pietersen playing next year".
It will be interesting to observe how the ECB reacts. Will it be another 'rape and pillage' response or a silent acceptance of the inevitable?.
Cricket News Online Live.com
Cricket News Online Live.com
8 comments:
Unless he crowds come to see the matches these T20 matches will be a failure. Only here crowds gather in large numbers and make it interesting and economically viable. How long this will last is anybodys guess.
WHY NO POST ON lAXMANS OUSTER FROM RANGERS CAPTAINCY.
R,
This is the first time I am hearing it.
Gilchrist has accepted the offer of captaincy. He could have politely declined and played under Laxman. Also Robin has been replaced with Darren Lehman as coach. Looks like the IPL will be hijacked by others very soon.
R,
This a welcome development as far as Deccan Chargers go. They never got the momentum because of Laxman's insipid captaincy.
Let us see whether Mallya does something similar.
Somehow Otts... am a bit bored about all these 20-20 championships... it was fun at the start... now everyone is taking it way too seriously.
Ravin... I must say Laxman was a terrible captain.
Scorpi,
I am still charmed. CSK for Champions League.:)
I am afraid foreign players in other teams may raise captaincy issues like Afridi and get our icons and Indian captains replaced gradually. The whole purpose of IPL will be lost
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