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IPL will not consider players already signed by ICL

By IANS

Kolkata : Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-resident Lalit Modi Monday said that there was no chance of the board roping in any player who had already signed for the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL) to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He also said that all the matches of the IPL would be organised by the respective team owners and not by the cricket board.

“Match organisation will be looked after by the respective franchisees. All the revenues belong to them. BCCI and the staging associations are just the facilitators,” Modi told reporters here at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) headquarters.

He arrived here with some members of a corporate body of the Red Chillies Entertainment, owned by Shah Rukh Khan. The Bollywood star the Kolkata team of IPL.

Asked if players like Brian Lara would be roped into IPL in future, Modi was chalk-and-cheese, “There are many players in the world and people have made their choice. The BCCI’s stand is very clear. Anybody participating in ICL will not be able to participate in anything to do with BCCI and its international or domestic cricket. And all Boards across the world have agreed to it. And there is no change in that stand.”

The franchisees will have the final say in team selection matters as well, Modi said.

However, sources at the CAB informed that Sourav Ganguly would be the “one and all” as far as team selection is concerned.

The budget for forming a team ranges from $3-5 million. “$5 million is the ceiling,” Modi said. He also informed that the corporate body would provide Rs.100 million to CAB for arrangement of proper facilities during the IPL matches.

Meanwhile, each team would of a minimum of four local players and four foreign players at maximum.

“As far as local players are concerned, players from West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Assam and Tripura would be condsidered. The inclusion of at least four in the squad is a must.”

When asked about the ongoing controversy with Cricket Australia, Modi said, “The matter will be amicably resolved. All the owners would like to include Australian players in their teams.”

“We hope in the years to come, people all around the globe follow IPL. Entertainment of people is paramount to the BCCI,” he added.