BCCI stumps ICL with its own Twenty20

Taking on the challenge posed by Subhash Chandra's Indian Cricket League (ICL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today launched its own international Twenty20 competition called the BCCI Indian Premiere League (IPL).

The 44-day tournament is scheduled to start in April 2008 and will have 59 matches, even as Sony Entertainment Television claimed it was confident of bagging telecast rights for these matches.

The total prize money for the IPL is around $3 million, three times the amount announced by the ICL for its Twenty20 matches starting next month.

Ending weeks of speculation, BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said Australian cricket legends Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have confirmed their association with the IPL. The ICL had tried hard to get the duo to play for it.

Modi, who is the convenor of the IPL, said eight teams from four nations would take part in the IPL with local as well as international players.

The BCCI has also set up a governing council, made up of former Indian captains and senior BCCI officials, to decide on a cap for the number of international cricketers each team can have.

The IPL matches will be played at various locations in India, guaranteeing at least seven matches at each venue. The matches will be played on Saturdays, between 5 pm and 8 pm. All matches will be televised and their telecast rights will be sold shortly.

The governing council for the IPL comprises former Indian captains Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and MAK "Tiger" Pataudi, politicians Arun Jaitley and Rajiv Shulka, businessman Chirayu Amin, Punjab Cricket Association President IS Bindra and other BCCI office-bearers. The IPL launch was attended by ICC President Ray Mali, BCCI President Sharad Pawar and Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland.