Out to prove a point that their brand of cricket is not just about over the Indian Cricket League (ICL) on Monday will unveil its youth brigade.
MUMBAI: Out to prove a point that their brand of cricket is not just about over- the-hill cricketers playing the young man’s game, Twenty20, the Indian Cricket League (ICL) on Monday will unveil its youth brigade. About 35 players, including former India Under-19 skipper Ambati Rayudu, who is just 21, will walk the ramp.
The glittering function, during which the players will be show-cased, most of them below 25, is aimed at proving to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, that even young cricketers can be lured towards the ICL’s Twenty20 bandwagon.
Earlier, BCCI president Sharad Pawar had taken a pot-shot at the ICL by stating in a television interview that nobody would be interested in watching ‘oldies’ play. This seems to have spurred the ICL honchos, who now claim to have enough young blood in their ranks to make the BCCI chief eat humble pie.
While most of the names of the cricketers, who have signed on the dotted line, are still under wraps, Paddi Kaushik Reddy, a 22-year-old Hyderabad medium pacer, and Shashank Nag, 24-year-old wicket-keeper batsman, are among the others who will be on show. Mumbai Ranji Trophy winning skipper Amol Muzumdar, it is learnt has taken up the ICL offer.
Delhi’s Mithun Minhas, Punjab’s Dinesh Mongia, who has a wealth of Twenty20 experience and Pankaj Dharmani are also expected to be in the show.
According to ICL sources, most of the players will be from Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Bangalore, besides Mumbai and New Delhi, the cities which will be competing in the first edition of the league.
The league, that has prize money of $100 million, is expected to start sometime in November. According to ICL sources, many players from states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat have shown keen interest in joining the league, but in the first year, the ICL’s focus will be on the cricketers from these participating cities.
Four more cities are expected to join the league later on. Most of the six competing teams will be led by international players.
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