The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Kiwis have no issues with IPL: Modi

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Friday, Oct 19, 2007
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Kiwis have no issues with IPL: Modi

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 league, fended off the “worst contracts in professional sport” brickbat from the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association (NZCPA) chief, Heath Mills.

Modi said: “The New Zealand players who have signed the contracts have no issue with us. If they (NZCPA) have an issue, they have to sort it out with the players concerned.”

Mills had said that the contract is 112 pages long, and the players around the world have been signing it and they have no idea of what they are signing away.

After the first meeting of the IPL’s Governing Council here at the Cricket Centre on Thursday, Modi said four more players, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, Pakistan’s Shoaib Mailk, Younis Khan and Mohammad Asif, have joined the IPL. Three other Kiwi players who have joined the IPL are Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori and Scot Styris.

To start in April

The IPL is all set to start at the conclusion of the India–South Africa three-Test home series in April 2008.

“It’s likely to start on April 16 or 17, 2008, and thereafter, the league will run for 44 days, featuring 59 games. Matches will be played in two locations.

“Each of the eight franchisees can sign any number of foreign players, but a franchisee team can field only four players in a match,” Modi said.

“As of now, 29 players have accepted the contract and in the course of the next week, we will announce more names. We are talking to the players on a country-wise basis.

“Majority of the players have been offered a three-year contract and the players will be given a token money, but eventually it will be up to the franchisees to bid for the players during the auction that will take place in January 2008,” Modi added.

He said that everything connected with the IPL like the selection of players, firming up contracts with franchisees, media rights partner and locations will be completed in early 2008.

“Franchisees have shown the expression of interest, but finally it all depends on who all take the tender document. I cannot reveal the names of the companies who have shown interest,” Modi said.

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