'ICL can keep Indo-Pak rivalry alive'

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is the only tournament of its kind that can keep alive the "great India-Pakistan rivalry". That's the view of the ICL's business head, Himanshu Mody, who was explaining its positioning vis-à-vis the ICC-backed Indian Premier League (IPL), which has a much higher profile and is operating on a larger scale.

The launch of the Lahore Badshahs team, which will participate in the tournament that begins on Sunday, will "add a whole new dimension to the league," Mody told Cricinfo. The side features 15 Pakistanis, including Inzamam-ul Haq, Mohammad Sami and Saqlain Mushtaq, and is coached by the former wicketkeeper, Moin Khan.

The one who got away is the middle-order batsman, Mohammad Yousuf, who signed up with the ICL before moving over to the IPL. Mody said there was "no question of a compromise" on the issue. "It is the case of a signed contract that has not been honoured. There is no question of a compromise and we will fight the case to its logical conclusion," he said.

Incidentally, Yousuf was not picked by any of the eight IPL franchises during the players' auction on February 20.

That auction saw a turnover of US$42 million, and several players crossing the million-dollar salary bracket, and established the IPL as a force to reckon with. Mody, though, sought to play down the significance of those figures. "Cricket is a team-based sport where team dynamics and cohesiveness as a unit are critical, important ingredients for producing a high-quality cricket product. A mere assortment of star players does not guarantee a successful sporting product, as has been seen with past initiatives like World XI sides and the Afro-Asian games."

The ICL's second international tournament, beginning on March 9, will span 30 days across three venues in India, with 13 additional international players and a second broadcaster in Dubai-based Ten Sports. This time, the ICL is riding a surge of international support with its star New Zealand recruit Shane Bond and the FICA appealing to the ICC to lift the ban on those associated with the venture.

The ICL's latest tournament will be called the Edelweiss 20s Challenge, after it struck a title sponsorship deal for its second season reportedly worth US$5 million with the financial services firm. That's half of what the IPL gets every year from its title sponsors, the Indian construction major DLF.