IANS

Hyderabad, Aug 17: In a big jolt to the Hyderabad cricket team, seven key players including former India under-19 captain Ambati Rayudu have decided to join the rebel Indian Cricket League.

The other local Ranji players who have reportedly signed contracts with Essel Group's ICL are Ibrahim Khaleel, Vinay Kumar, Indra Sekhar Reddy, Shashank Nag, Kaushik Reddy and Anirudh Singh.

The development is a blow to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as this is the first time that a group of first-class cricketers has signed up for ICL despite several official warnings.

It was great setback for Hyderabad, the news coming only a few hours before the Buchi Babu cricket tournament began in Chennai on Thursday. This has embarrassed the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), which was forced to rush last-minute replacements.

HCA president and Andhra Pradesh labour minister G Vinod admitted that with seven key players walking out the team has been considerably weakened.

Vinod said HCA would wait for BCCI to take a decision on these players at its special general body meeting Aug 21.

BCCI has already threatened to impose a life-ban on cricketers who join ICL.

Sources said the players stand to earn Rs.9 million each for the three-year contract. They decided to join ICL as they have given up all hopes of making it to the national team and were also reportedly fed up with HCA politics.

Ambati Rayudu, 21, has scored 2715 first-class runs with seven centuries and 13 half-centuries.