The launch of the multi-million-dollar breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) has been delayed by a month until November 17 due to "teething problems." Kapil Dev, the legendary Indian all-rounder who spearheads the ICL, said the tournament would now start when more international cricketers are available.
"We all sat together and felt mid-November is the right date, because at that time international cricketers should also be free to play," Dev told CNN-IBN television.
"November 17 is the target date but still let us wait till it is officially announced," he added. The ICL, which plans to hold Twenty20 tournaments between city teams for the next three years, has signed up seven international stars and 44 Indian first-class cricketers.
Former Test captains Brian Lara of the West Indies and Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan lead the list that also includes Pakistanis Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat and South Africans Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has barred Indian players aligned to the ICL from playing first-class cricket, making them ineligible for selection for national teams.