The BCCI, which is hosting a Twenty20 Champions League for domestic teams from at least four countries immediately after the Champions Trophy in September, will inform the ICC that the proposed tournament does not violate any previous agreement signed by the governing body's members, Cricinfo has learnt.
The ICC had on Tuesday reminded its member countries through an email that holding a tournament within seven days of an ICC event violated a playing agreement signed by its members. Officials from BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa are meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday to finalise the Champions League to be held in three Indian venues from September 29, one day after the Champions Trophy ends in Pakistan.
"The BCCI will inform the ICC that the playing agreement clearly pertains only to bilateral series and international tournaments involving national sides," a senior BCCI official told Cricinfo. "The Champions League is a multi-club event for domestic teams and does not come under the jurisidiction of this agreement."
Apparently, the BCCI "understands" that the ICC email was "part of a mandatory procedure" followed by the governing body, acting on a letter it had received from ESPN-Star Sports, its official broadcaster. The broadcaster had expressed concerns over whether the Twenty20 tournament would devalue the Champions Trophy one-day tournament.
"The ICC has followed a process and we understand that. Our position is also clear and we will communicate that accordingly," the official said. The Champions League has already generated controversy, with the ECB planning to go ahead with its own tournament, slated for October in Sharjah, after disagreements with the BCCI over various rules and regulations, including the ban on players from the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL), the share-holding pattern and profit-sharing formula.
On the other hand, the Champions Trophy faces the threat of player pullouts after the ICC decided to go ahead with the tournament in Pakistan despite security concerns.
Posts
