BCCIâs mini-IPL dreams hit ICC roadblock
© BCCI Media
BCCIâs plans to conduct a âmini-IPLâ in September has hit a roadblock with the boards of Australia, England, South Africa, and West Indies opposing the idea at the annual conference in Edinburgh. The ICC also has plans of conduct a World T20 during the vacant September slot in the cricket calendar.
According to a report in the Times of India, the Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) along with President Anurag Thakur proposed the idea to conduct a smaller version of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) to the other members in the ICC annual conference in Edinburgh last month. However, the Indian boardâs plan found strong objection from the Cricket Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Cricket South Africa, and the West Indies Cricket Board.
The ICC, led by chairman Shashank Manohar, has also been planning to reinstate the World T20 as a two-year affair after the success of the recent edition in India and was looking at the vacant September slot to conduct it. The international cricket governing body has also been in talks with Star TV about the tournament. ICCâs snub of the mini-IPL proposal could have been due to this reason as well.
âIf true, it's a telling sign of the reduced clout the current set of administrators (in the board) wield, unlike their predecessors. It's also a personal embarrassment for the men running the BCCI right now."
Unnamed Source
A source close to the developments stated that they are trying to figure out whether the snub from the ICC is a sign of things to come.
âIf true, it's a telling sign of the reduced clout the current set of administrators (in the board) wield, unlike their predecessors. It's also a personal embarrassment for the men running the BCCI right now," a source said, reported TOI.
The report from the Times of India also says that Anurag Thakur and Shashank Manohar have not been on the same page for the last six months and the latter has refused to entertain the discussion about the mini-IPL in the ICC meetings.
With the ICC giving a cold shoulder to their idea of âmini-IPLâ, BCCI called off the IPL owners and CEOs meeting last week without any explanations. With time running out, the Indian board is likely to shelve their ambitious plan to conduct the âmini-IPLâ in September.
Also, read : Mini-IPL | Will it finally kill the golden goose?
