Today, league cricket is discussed worldwide. League cricket has become very big, and everyone traces its roots back to the IPL. But a year before the IPL began, another league had already started. That league was the first of its kind. In India, perhaps no one had imagined such a concept at that time. But the Indian Cricket League can be called the pioneer of league cricket in India. And the mind behind it was Essel Group Chairman Dr. Subhash Chandra.
This was when India had been knocked out of the One-Day Cricket World Cup in the very first round. In such a time of national disappointment, Dr. Chandra thought of introducing cricket lovers to a new flavor and a new style. In the Indian Cricket League, teams were divided on the basis of cities — just like what later happened in the IPL. Players from different countries were included. With colorful jerseys, bright floodlights, and white balls, the T20 cricket league era began. Big names like Kapil Dev and Brian Lara were associated with it.
At that time, even the BCCI was not very enthusiastic about T20 cricket. They were unsure about the success of T20 cricket. But this is where Dr. Chandra’s foresight recognized that this was the future of cricket — not just T20, but league cricket itself would change the world. No one then could have imagined how big this new format could become for cricket.
In 2016, Dr. Chandra himself mentioned this. He said, “Yes, the IPL succeeded because of the ICL. And the Board of Control for Cricket in India has earned a lot of money from it.”
The ICL allowed four foreign players, eight junior players, and two international players in each team. These teams were structured in a way that junior Indian players would get a chance to play with teams from India and other countries, and learn from their experience.
The IPL began in 2008, and since then it has grown massively. Now, the board earns thousands of crores of rupees just from broadcasting rights. But in 2007, when the ICL started, no one had even thought of such a concept. The path paved by the ICL helped league cricket reach where it stands today.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
