England and India agree two-year IPL deal
England’s players will be available to play in
the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) both this
year and next year, it was announced Tuesday.
A joint statement issued by the Board of Control for
cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales cricket
Board (ECB) said England players would be available
to participate in the IPL auction on February 6 and
to play in the IPL “for a minimum of a three week
period in 2009 and 2010”.
The boards added they would be working together to try
to create a similar ‘window’ for the IPL in
2010 within the confines of the current international
fixture schedule.
That had threatened to stop the likes of England stars
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff from playing any
part at all in this year’s edition of the cash-rich
Twenty20 tournament, where wealthy owners of franchise
teams bid to have some of the world’s best players
in their sides.
But instead they will now be available to play in this
year’s IPL, which runs from April 10 to May 29,
for three weeks after England’s ongoing tour of
the West Indies ends with a one-day international in
St Lucia on April 3.
As part of the new agreement, every England player who
signs an IPL contract will have to give 10 percent of
their earnings to their county.
The BCCI and ECB added they’d also agreed to schedule
Test match and one-day international series over a four-year
period starting in 2011.
ECB chief executive David Collier said in a statement:
“Our agreement is good for the players, the respective
boards, our counties and for cricket.
“We look forward to welcoming India, the reigning
ICC World Twenty20 Champions, to England for the ICC
World Twenty20 this (northern) summer and for the tour
of England and Wales in 2011.”
Last week, England players signed their national central
contracts just as the Test side began its tour of the
West Indies after protracted talks had stalled over
how long they would be allowed to play in the IPL.
The ECB had said it would only allow players to compete
in the competition for two weeks - a period which IPL
chief Lalit Modi said was too short to be of any use.
But the ECB susbsequently agreed their Test players
could play in the IPL for a three-week period and this
also proved acceptable to IPL officials.
However, the new deal means England players selected
for IPL duty this year will go into the first Test against
the West Indies at Lord’s on May 7 without recent
first-class match practice as the preceding round of
County Championship matches ends on May 1 and May 2.
But England captain Andrew Strauss, speaking before
England flew to the Caribbean, said appearing in a Championship
fixture was not the only way to get ready for a Test.
“I believe the players who will be involved in
the IPL are experienced campaigners,” Strauss said:
“They didn’t just turn up yesterday. They
know what Test cricket is about and know what preparation
they need.”
BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan welcomed the new arrangements
Tuesday by saying: “We are very pleased with the
outcome of the discussions.
“BCCI looks forward to building upon our warm relationship
with the senior officers of ECB.”
His comments come at a sensitive time for English cricket,
with ECB chairman Giles Clarke, in post since September
2007, facing a challenge to his position from businessman/politician
Jonathan Marland.
Chairmen of the 18 first class counties and the MCC
will vote on who gets the job next month.
Clarke has been criticised for sanctioning England’s
ill-fated participation in last year’s winner-takes-all
Stanford Twenty20 tournament in Antigua - which was
seen by many as a sop to the players to prevent them
from taking part in the inaugural IPL.
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