Even after talks failed in the meeting between the ICL & BCCI, Kapil Dev is optimistic about the league’s future and believes that ICL is here to stay.
The involvement of the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a mediator between the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was seen as a shot in the arm for the league.
But after talks failed in the meeting at Johannesburg on Monday, ICL Chairman Kapil Dev is optimistic about the league’s future and believes that ICL is here to stay. “Oh, we will certainly have cricket. We will exist. We will try our best as promoters of the game to keep on putting money and we will keep on working hard,” said the former India captain who was in the city to unveil the mascot of IWAS World Games (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation) to be held in Bangalore in November.
Kapil said the ICL team would do everything possible to promote the game in the country. “My colleagues and I have only one thing in mind and that is: how we can promote cricket in India. That’s the bottom line,” he added.
ICL has been fighting hard to get rid of the rebel tag slapped on it by BCCI, which banned ICL players from all forms of official cricket. Reacting to BCCI’s wayward stand, Kapil said, “I think it’s unfortunate that people who are looking after cricket in India haven’t played cricket, so it is very difficult to explain to them. To me, it looks like people who don’t want to help the game are running the game.”
Asked about his views on the legal action being taken on ICL players in Pakistan, he said, “Let the legal action be taken by the people in the system. They know better than I do, so I am not jumping into anything.”
The ICL and BCCI first met in September last year but talks buckled after league owner Subhash Chandra refused the Indian board’s offer to disband the ICL and take up an IPL franchise instead. However, the ICC is keen to have the matter sorted out and they will now meet in April in Dubai to discuss the application filed by ICL seeking to be recognised.
“I am not hoping for anything,” Kapil said. “What is there in hoping? I can hope for the moon, I can hope for the sun. Let’s go there and see what happens.”
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