Rediff
Jaipur, Oct 31: In a statement that could worsen the already-strained relationship between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Indian
Cricket League, Lalit Modi said the International Cricket Council cannot grant sanction to the 'rebel' league as it does not satisfy the norms of 'authorised cricket'.
Modi, who is part of a five-member ICC panel to review the laws governing official and unofficial cricket, also said it wouldn't be possible to grant recognition to the ICL because there is no window in the international calendar to accommodate it.
"Recognition comes with a lot of caveats and with lot of conditions and lot of rules. I do not think this particular tournament (ICL) would be able to adhere to those conditions.
"If you look at a window, where is the window at the end of the day? We are having a tough time ourselves at the BCCI," he said.
Modi also made it clear that there was no place for parallel leagues like the ICL in the game today.
"In every country, in every sport there is a pyramid system for running and controlling a particular sport. We need to ensure that that pyramid is intact and that from the ICC's perspective whatever partnerships that the ICC and its members have with their commercial partners or with their players, is there to stay."
He said the BCCI is not just sidelining the ICL and similar tournaments that come up will be treated the same way.
"It is not only the ICL. The ethos and the new tournaments that are coming up by corporates are for profit-making. So it is not one issue. There are many issues that are involved in terms of deciding whether what official cricket or unofficial cricket should be and this is a mandate the ICC is looking into," Modi told CNBC-TV 18.
The Indian Premier League chairman claimed that three teams, including the Kolkata Knight Riders, have recovered their spending in the first year itself though the other teams could require at least four years to break even.
The top two sides -- Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Superkings -- will take part in the inaugural Champions Twenty20 League from December 3-10 and Modi said these teams will get more money.
"I originally predicted that they (the franchises) would all break even by year four. I think in year one, three teams will make money realistically. Rajasthan Royals (and Chennai Superkings) have now qualified for the Champions League and they get a large purse and participation fees."
On the rules for trading players for the second season, starting in April 2009, Modi said teams that have spent less than the US $5 million cap for the first year will not be able to carry over the remainder sum for the next auction in Mumbai on February 6.
Teams will now have the option of transferring players and Modi said the transfer price and revenue sharing will have to be mutually decided between the player and the team owner.
"Teams and club owners, when they bought the team in year one they bought blindly. Since the owner has signed a three-year contract with a particular player, he will decide whether to put that player in the trading window. But he needs to get the consent of the player to do that.
"Then they have to decide mutually what the price is going to be. The base price must remain same as the auction price because the player can't get anything less."