BCCI agrees to talk to ICL

MUMBAI: For the first time, officials of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will sit across a table and talk, following a directive on Tuesday from the International Cricket Council.

So far the BCCI has banned ICL players from domestic and international cricket and several other boards have followed suit. However, Sri Lanka Cricket has admitted ICL players back into their fold and English counties have fielded ICL players.

Subhas Chandra, chairman of Essel Group which promotes the ICL, said “As stated in the ICC meeting today we will be in dialogue with the BCCI and hope to resolve this issue soon. The outcome of the meeting should benefit all.”  Earlier this month, Chandra had met ICC president David Morgan.

At its board meeting on Tuesday, ICC asked BCCI president Shashank Manohar to meet  ICL officials. Manohar has also agreed to provide the ICC board with a full written report of those discussions in due course.

Former Indian skipper and ICL’s executive board’s chairman Kapil Dev had told DNA last week: “The ICL players are from our own country and they deserve the chance to turn out for our country. If somebody thinks that our players won’t be able to play for the country, I think they are wrong and they are going against the country’s feeling.”