The ICL fights on
Rohit Mahajan, in Outlook , writes the ICL has defied predictions of an early demise and, has instead, expanded into a potent force that could seriously affect the dynamics of world cricket.
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Rohit Mahajan, in Outlook, writes the ICL has defied predictions of an early demise and, has instead, expanded into a potent force that could seriously affect the dynamics of world cricket.
Conventional wisdom suggested its demise was imminent; the mighty BCCI, after all, had decreed that the rebel league must die, banning players who joined it and threatening and tempting the rest with its massive funds.
Yet the ICL showed it's very much alive and kicking when it named the ninth team in its league—the Dhaka Warriors, comprising 13 top Bangladesh players. The reduction of ban on Sri Lankan players was still more significant, showing active dissent outside India. These developments vindicated the Essel Group, owner of the ICL, which was mocked for spending lavishly in a battle it was bound to lose to the mighty BCCI.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo