Former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara has reportedly been agreed to play for an unsanctioned Twenty20 league called the Indian Champions League (ICL), which may take place in December in Dubai. The Magpie Group - a company based in India – said that it would be played in Dubai between eight teams but that they had not yet met with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to discuss the tournament or seek approval. They have also not yet approached the Emirates Cricket Board about holding the tournament at their grounds.
No formal details of the tournament have been issued but an ICL Facebook page lists eight teams and a number of players who it claims have signed to be part of the tournament, including Bopara and Ryan Ten Doeschate, the Essex players. The list also includes Danish Kaneria, the former Pakistan and Essex leg spinner, who is serving a life ban from cricket for match-fixing. Manish Kumar Choudhary of The Magpie Group said that Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain who had finished serving the ban from the ICC, also agreed to play in the tournament.
The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (Fica) has warned its members - including the Professional Cricketers’ Association in the UK - not to allow players to sign up for the tournament as it has not been sanctioned by the ICC. “Fica has been advised that the proposed ‘Indian Champions League’ event scheduled to take place in December 2016 is not yet sanctioned. Accordingly, players are advised that playing in this event could have negative implications on their careers. The event is currently deemed to be disapproved cricket under ICC Regulations,” a Fica spokesperson said.
Bopara and Ten Doeschate refused to comment when asked by The Times about the link to the ICL. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali and a number of other England players have been approached to take part in the fully sanctioned Pakistan Super League (PSL), which will take place in Dubai in mid-February 2017. Although the exact dates are yet to be finalised, it is expected to take place during a window in England’s schedule before they go to the West Indies for three one-day internationals at the end of February and beginning of March.
It is believed that Andrew Strauss is keen for England players to play in Twenty20 tournaments around the world, where the schedule allows, and that the ECB would allow their players to play in the tournament if the timing fits with their England commitments.
