Lot of ho-hulla is going on about Indian Cricket League (ICL), termed as the "rebel cricket league". It is indeed rebel in the sense that it is a step away from the normal. Board of Control for Cricket in India has been managing the cricketing operations in the country and will continue to do so. In a cricket crazy nation, the board has easily managed to become the richest cricket boards in the world.....but what has it given back to the players, the fans and more importantly to the game?

The board may take pride in saying that India has the highest number of cricket stadiums in the world but what about the state of these stadiums. Whenever there is a match in India, majority of the seats are taken up by the members of the concerned cricket association or as go as passes to VIPs. A normal cricket fan has to either pay a fortune to get a decent seat or has to spend the day in the sun. I have not tried often but once I wanted to watch one day of a test match between India and Australia at Bangalore but I changed my mind since the tickets were for 1800 Rs for a day!!!!!

With the kind of bank balance that the board has, it should do something about the stadiums. The spectators should get value for money. Why can not we have good stadiums with good facilities, not only for the spectators but also other facilities like good pitches, big screens, good drainage systems, super-soakers, proper security etc. Why can't we have a good indoor stadium like Australia has? With the popularity of the test matches and the one-dayers going down, such acts will make watching a match an enjoyable experience for a spectator and will help in reviving the longer versions of the game.

Now, all that is something that the BCCI should do regarding the stadiums and the spectators. But with the state of affairs in the board, I don't see all that happening in a long long time.....if at all it ever happens. Apart from all this, BCCI owes a lot to the players as well as the game. The players should be properly remunerated and BCCI should do something to promote the game in India and to identify and groom new talent. Since BCCI was not doing it, ICL came into the picture. BCCI will continue to be "the" cricket body in India but ICL is coming up with formats "intended" towards identifying and grooming new talent. In a population of over a billion, we struggle to find talents like Tendulkar, Kumble, Muralidharan, Warne, Lara, Mcgrath etc. Indeed these are great players and it will be very difficult to find players like them but the fact is that the board is not doing enough to identify new talents.

Today, the criteria for selection in the national team is performance in the domestic cricket (well.....at least officially that is the criteria!!!!). Whenever a youngster is picked to play for the national team, more often than not he struggles to find a foothold on the international arena. The reason is the sub-standard level of domestic cricket. The pitches are far from international standards, they do not use the cricket balls used in International cricket, there is hardly any training provided to them and they are paid pretty badly. The remuneration in domestic cricket should be sufficient for a player to continue playing cricket and make a decent livelihood. That is not the case at present and that is exactly what ICL is "trying" to change.

ICL "intends" to make a pool of promising young cricket players, provide them adequate training and coaching, make them play and learn in company of International players and pay them much more than what they are getting in the BCCI raj. What more can a player ask for?

Having said all that about ICL, I have my share of doubts. Firstly, the kind of International players that are coming up to join ICL are mostly the ones who have retired or are on the verge of retirement from International cricket. How much can they offer is questionable? Now, that can still be accepted as at the end of the day the youngsters will get a chance to be with and play in the company of these "former" greats. But the major concern is that the whole idea behind ICL is getting defeated. The intention of ICL should be to groom young talent so that they can play for the country in the future. ICL may have that vision but that depends upon BCCI as the selectors appointed by BCCI select the national team. If BCCI and ICL are on the loggerheads and if anyone joining the rebel league wont be getting any kind of benefits from the cricket board then it means that the "groomed" players of ICL will play only in ICL!!!! ICL will make money with these star studded cricket matches, BCCI will continue to make money with the International matches, spectators will get to see more cricket……only loser will be the Indian cricket.

Already a lot of domestic players have left their sides to sign contracts with ICL, putting a question mark on the future of domestic cricket. We can not blame them. If they were not making enough money and if they were feeling that with the present state of affairs, they hardly have a chance to play for the country then why not ICL!!!! Certainly not a bad decision by the players. But the quality (if there was any) of domestic cricket will go down. Moreover, if the players of ICL do not have a future in International Cricket then it is nothing put a money making mechanism for the players, the organizers and Subhash Chandra. ICL can not do anything about it…..BCCI has to realize that it is something that they should have thought about instead of the elections, players’ contracts and endorsements. BCCI will have to soften its stand and join hands with ICL. That is the only way Indian Cricket will be benefited.