Plans for a Twenty20 Champions League this autumn could already be in
trouble because of the insistence of Lalit Modi, the IPL's
commissioner, that no player with links to the rival ICL will be
allowed to take part. Read my previous Blog on IPL v ICL Politics, Who is the Big Bully?
Originally, the IPL, backed by the Indian board, demanded that no
ICL-contracted players be allowed to take part in any cricket anywhere
in the world. But while some boards fell into line, the ECB's tough
approach vis-a-vis the counties gradually fell apart, largely through
legal threats, and by early May every ICL player who had signed with a
county side was free to play.
Counties are increasingly concerned that if
they do as Modi demands and omit ICL players then they risk being sued.
If they don't, Modi will block them from taking part. "If they ban the
counties, about 15 out of 18 will be ineligible," Tom Sears,
Derbyshire's chief executive, told The Guardian. "I can't see the ECB agreeing to a tournament on those terms."
While the issue will not arise until the autumn, counties need to know
that the side they pick in matches which start this week will be the
one they can turn out later in the year should they qualify.
The outcome will not only give the counties an idea of where they stand
and what they need to do, it will clarify just how powerful Modi and
the Indian board are in terms of the global game.
