Mini-IPL hits roadblock, four countries oppose BCCI proposal

New Delhi: Probably for the first time in the last two decades, the mighty BCCI has faced stiff resistance from the other cricket boards. Since Jagmohan Dalmiya’s accession as ICC president in the 1990’s, the Indian cricket board has called the shots and other member boards have only complied. Things might change now. Anurag Thakur, after becoming the BCCI president, announced that the board was looking to host a ‘mini-IPL’ tournament in September as a replacement to the now-scrapped Champions League T20. The idea behind the proposal is to reach out to Indian cricket fans abroad. However, during the recent general body meeting of the ICC in Edinburgh, the BCCI’s proposal to hold a mini-IPL in September this year was opposed by at least four members – Australia (Cricket Australia), South Africa (Cricket South Africa), England (England Cricket) and West Indies (West Indies Cricket Board). Also, mini-IPL would jeopardize ICC’s plans to host the World T20 once every two years despite a cramped international schedule and September seems to be a viable month for it, Star Sports reported. ICC chairman Shashank Manohar is in talks with broadcasters to bring the World T20 back to two-year format. Manohar, former BCCI president, and Thakur, current BCCI president, has not been on the same page since the dissolution of ‘Big Three’. While Manohar opposed the formation of the ‘Big Three’, Thakur wanted it to continue. Sources close to the development have reckoned that ICC’s snub to the BCCI could determine how world cricket runs in the future. "If true, it's a telling sign of the reduced clout the current set of administrators (in the board) wield, unlike their predecessors. It's also a personal embarrassment for the men running the BCCI right now," a source said. Hence, the likelihood of a ‘mini-IPL’ taking place this year has decreased considerably. BCCI, on its part, is also not fully prepared to host the tournament as nothing has been finalized yet and going by the packed international schedule, availability of star cricketers seems nearly impossible. Also, BCCI’s domestic tournament Duleep Trophy, which is set to see some matches being played under lights with pink ball.