No IPL window in international cricket calendar

Speculation regarding a window for the Indian Premier League in the international cricket calendar was laid to rest with the ICC reiterating that the Future Tours Program was in place till 2012 and that "no window would be considered or created prior to that".

After a two-day meeting of the ICC chief executives' committee, it was agreed that international commitments would take priority over the IPL and players would need a no-objection certificate from their board if they wanted to participate in the Twenty20 tournament.

"The members were pleased to receive very clear and unconditional commitment from the BCCI that international matches would be given absolute priority over IPL commitments," the ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said. "The other ICC members are supportive of the BCCI and will carefully evaluate the first year of the IPL and its wider impact on the game in other parts of the world."

It was also recommended that the ICC and the BCCI work together to ensure that anti-corruption and anti-doping processes are put in place for the IPL, and that a code of ethics is established for the owners of the teams. The inaugural tournament of the IPL, which had its players' auction in Mumbai on Wednesday, is scheduled to start on April 18.

It was also confirmed that the ICC members will not recognise the Indian Cricket League and that they would not grant permission for their players to take part in it. Several internationals, including the New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond and Pakistan's Mohammad Sami, have joined the unofficial league.