Pak stars join Indian league
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Pakistan trio Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq head a list of stars joining the rebel Indian league.
Former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener and Indian batsman Dinesh Mongia have also signed contracts, reports BBC.
Pakistan and India have threatened to ban anyone who plays in the event, but that did not deter another Pakistan player, opener Imran Farhat, joining.
Inzamam (37) quit ODIs and the Test captaincy after the World Cup but had been expected to continue as a batsman.
He and his countrymen join former West Indies captain Brian Lara in becoming high-profile participants in the rebel league, which will initially feature Twenty20 matches played over two months over the next three years.
Australian duo Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have also been linked with this year's competition, which begins in October. The ICL paraded 44 Indian first-class cricketers at Monday's media conference.
Officials refused to divulge the sums being paid to players, but one source said they were "more than enough to make the players happy."
Media reports said some domestic cricketers, who earned a maximum of 500,000 rupees [$12,200] from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) during a season, were reportedly being given nine million rupees [$220,000] by the ICL for three years.
Meanwhile the BCCI says it will increase fees for domestic cricketers by 20 per cent, but insists the threat of the ICL is not the reason for the rise.
Former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener and Indian batsman Dinesh Mongia have also signed contracts, reports BBC.
Pakistan and India have threatened to ban anyone who plays in the event, but that did not deter another Pakistan player, opener Imran Farhat, joining.
Inzamam (37) quit ODIs and the Test captaincy after the World Cup but had been expected to continue as a batsman.
He and his countrymen join former West Indies captain Brian Lara in becoming high-profile participants in the rebel league, which will initially feature Twenty20 matches played over two months over the next three years.
Australian duo Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have also been linked with this year's competition, which begins in October. The ICL paraded 44 Indian first-class cricketers at Monday's media conference.
Officials refused to divulge the sums being paid to players, but one source said they were "more than enough to make the players happy."
Media reports said some domestic cricketers, who earned a maximum of 500,000 rupees [$12,200] from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) during a season, were reportedly being given nine million rupees [$220,000] by the ICL for three years.
Meanwhile the BCCI says it will increase fees for domestic cricketers by 20 per cent, but insists the threat of the ICL is not the reason for the rise.