Icl Winners To Take Home Rs 50 Lakh

Indian Cricket League (ICL), which has designed a league-based tournament with international cricket stars, on the lines of Super Bowl of the United States, will offer a prize money of Rs 50 lakh to the league winner.

After having bagged the exclusive pouring rights for the league matches spread over about 40 days, the company is attempting to upstage its rival Coke by bargaining for the tile sponsorship rights too. The title sponsorship is likely to cost a sponsor about a couple of crores of rupees.

Indian Cricket League is a newly-formed joint venture company between the K K Modi group and UK-based API which is into production of sports programmes and event management.

 

Though ICL would be happy to break even in the first year of the league matches in 1998, negotiations are on with the big spenders in sports like Reebok and Four Square.

ICL is also in talks in with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to identify at least 10 beneficiaries to avoid any controversy. The amount to be given away to former cricketers is being worked out by the ICL.

The international cricket stars would be paid their prevalent rates which they get when playing an international match.

The uniqueness of the whole scheme is that the remuneration of even local cricketers with no international exposure too will be at par with the international cricketers.

International stars who have already agreed to make an appearance include the likes of Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Rashid Latif, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Ajay Jadeja and Anil Kumble.

The approximately six-city league will have different teams playing against each other in league matches in day-night one-dayers spread over about 40 days.

Not only each team will have its own logo and colour, but will also have fair representation of national, international and local cricket players for a balanced look. The investment planned is approximately $50 million over the next five years.

ICL also plans to plough in a substantial amount earned from the annual fixture into building up in-stadia facilities at different places and also in the training of under-19 cricketers. The firm is also planning to devise a way through which budding sports scribes can be avail of scholarships.