Modern day Packer ignites fears of split in world of international cricket

NEW DELHI: A billionaire media mogul plans to set up a rebel cricket tournament that could shake up the sport’s old world order and land players in the middle of a fierce bidding war.
Subhash Chandra, the head of Indian conglomerate Essel Group, is the Kerry Packer-like figure behind the plans to form a global Twenty20 league that hopes to usurp the Indian Premier League, and ultimately take on the International Cricket Council.
Some commentators have likened Chandra’s manouvre similar to that executed by Packer’s World Series Cricket in 1977.
In a nutshell, Chandra is hoping to enter the sporting market by setting up a completely new organisation that would operate outside the jurisdiction of the ICC.
According to an official press release from Essel Group, Chandra’s dream is to take cricket beyond its traditional Commonwealth base, meaning countries such as China and the USA could be targeted. The Telegraph in England is reporting that more than 249 website domains have been registered across the world to “cover countries and associations that could be affiliated to the new governing body.”
“Essel Group is now geared up to enter the sports business at a global level, focusing on Cricket, since it has been limited to Commonwealth countries,” the press release said. “Our research reflects that there is an immense opportunity to make it a global sport.”
Essel owns Zee Entertainment, which in turn is the owner of Ten Sports, the TV network originally founded in the UAE that broadcasts cricket – and many other sports – to millions of households across Asia.
Presumably this would be the medium by which Essel’s rebel Twenty20 league would be broadcast.
Forbes estimates Chandra’s worth to be around $3.9 billion, making him the 21st richest man in India.
In many other regards Chandra is making moves straight from the Packer playbook.
He intends on using the weight of his broadcasting company to make a serious play at the cricket establishment and will hope he has both the money and vision to appeal to the current generation of cricketers, in the hope of prying them away from their existing contracts.
That was precisely what Packer did when he hired the likes of the late Tony Greig, then England captain, to act as a World Series cricket salesperson to his peers.
Meanwhile, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, the umbrella group for player unions around the world, has been sounded out over the creation of a rebel cricket organisation by intermediaries working for Subhash Chandra.
The Guardian has reported that the ICC has launched an urgent investigation after Essel began setting up companies and website domains that give the appearance of being cricket boards, raising fears over a split in the game.
FICA is understood to have walked away from the talks as it was not comfortable with their clandestine nature and insisted the subject was moot until the details were hardened up and presented above board. No conversations have followed since.
The body has warned the national boards to be wary and ‘on their toes’ about their players actually signing up with the rebel group. This despite the fact that a number of players weren’t paid for their participation in the ICL, and that former New Zealand opener had confessed to corruption charges during his stint there.
“There is always going to be interest from players in events irrespective of what history has occurred. Obviously there will be some reticence from players based on what has happened but I don’t think you can discount the fact that players will be interested,” FICA chief executive Tony Irish was quoted as saying in The Sydney Morning Herald.
He also spoke about how it was the responsibility of the governing bodies to make mainstream international cricket attractive to ensure that their players aren’t tempted by such rebel groups.
“International cricket and mainstream cricket have got to be on their toes to keep their players. But that’s the case as it is anyway because players have got opportunities in approved T20 leagues around the world at the moment and a lot of players I think are looking to just go that route. So whether this event happens or doesn’t happen I think the boards have got to be on their toes,” he said.